Word
with
US/ˈwɪð/
UK/wˈɪð/
Definition
prep. used to show that people or things are together or doing something at the same time. You also use it to talk about the tool or method you use to finish a task.
prep. indicating accompaniment, association, or the instrument used to perform an action. Functions as a head of a prepositional phrase to link a noun or pronoun to the rest of the sentence.
Examples
“I am going to the park with my friends.”
“She managed to open the locked wooden box with a small silver key she found in the drawer.”
“The architect designed the building with both aesthetic beauty and structural integrity in mind, ensuring it would withstand the harsh coastal winds while remaining a local landmark.”
Examples
simple
“I am going to the park with my friends.”
contextual
“She managed to open the locked wooden box with a small silver key she found in the drawer.”
complex
“The architect designed the building with both aesthetic beauty and structural integrity in mind, ensuring it would withstand the harsh coastal winds while remaining a local landmark.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “with” in context.
Usage
Typically followed by a noun phrase or pronoun in the objective case. When used to indicate an instrument, it is often contrasted with 'by', which indicates the agent or the method.
Pitfall
I am angry with you because of what you said.
I am angry with you.
While 'with' is correct for people, learners often confuse prepositions after adjectives; 'angry with' is the standard collocation for people, while 'angry at' or 'about' is used for situations.
Etymology
From Middle English with, from Old English wiþ (“against, opposite, toward, with”), from Proto-West Germanic wiþi, a shortened form of Proto-Germanic wiþrą (“against”). In Middle English, the word shifted to denote association rather than opposition, displacing Middle English mid (“with”), from Old English mid (“with”), from Proto-Germanic *midi; an earlier model of this meaning shift exists in cognate Old Norse við; elsewhere, the converse meaning shift is exemplified by Old South Arabian 𐩨𐩺𐩬 (byn, “between, amid”) spawning Old South Arabian 𐩨𐩬 (bn, “against”) and even likewise frequent reverse meaning 𐩨𐩬 (bn, “from”). The adverb sense is probably a semantic loan from various other Germanic languages, such as German mit, Norwegian med, and Swedish med.
From Middle English withe, wiþþe, from Old English wiþþe. More at withe.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Grammar
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- A1 · BeginnerOxford
- Updated
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