among

Alternative forms

• amonge (archaic)
• amoung (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English among, amang, amonge, amange, from Old English amang, onġemang, equivalent to a- +‎ mong (“crowd; group; throng”). Compare Saterland Frisian monk, monken (“among”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈmʌŋ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: a‧mong
• Rhymes: -ʌŋ

Preposition

among

1. Denotes a mingling or intermixing with distinct or separable objects. (See Usage Note at amidst)

   How can you speak with authority about their customs when you have never lived among them?

2. Denotes a belonging of a person or a thing to a group.
   • 2013 August 10, “Can China clean up fast enough?”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:

     All this has led to an explosion of protest across China, including among a middle class that has discovered nimbyism.

   He is among the few who completely understand the subject.

3. Denotes a sharing of a common feature in a group.
   • 1611, Bible (King James Version), Luke 1:1:

     Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us […]

   Lactose intolerance is common among people of Asian heritage.

Anagrams

• Gamon, Mogan, ang mo, goman, mango, ngoma

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: a‧mong

Verb

among

1. To be made or become a collateral damage.
2. To implicate; to connect or involve in an unfavorable or criminal way with something.
3. To drag in.

Noun

among

1. party; banquet

Noun

among

1. (colloquial) priest (commonly used with respect)