Among meaning in English
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Definition
among, amongst: in the middle of, surrounded by, between
among us between us
among other things as well as other things
Among and amongst have the same meaning. Among is mainly used in the USA, while amongst is mainly used in Great Britain and Australia.
Pronunciation examples
UK: I enjoy knitting and reading, amongst other things.
US: One of you among us is a traitor.
Examples
- "However, the Delavigne Corporation is among your biggest clients."
- "The goal is to create understanding amongst your colleagues."
- "Staff : (talking amongst themselves)"
- "In 1933, Xavier opened "La Parfumerie Xavier Delavigne", which became a favorite amongst locals."
- "New Fish-borne virus causes widespread panic amongst Americans"
- "In 1933, Xavier opened "La Parfumerie Xavier Delavigne" , which became a favorite amongst locals."
- "Lack of sleep leads to irritability, poor behavior and trouble with relationships, especially among children and teens."
- "For the last century, Delavigne has been among the industry leaders in cosmetics and perfumes."
- "A new report published by the BNB (Bad News Bearers) shows that obesity among Americans is not slowing down, as naive idealists continue to suggest, but rather growing at a nearly exponential rate."
- "Sigourney : Yes, but surely you have a favourite among them. I mean, the initiatives really are revolutionary - very ahead of their time."
- "I am delighted to announce that the first six months of this year have been among the most successful in the Delavigne Corporation's history."
- "It is Delavigne's biggest seller Down Under (in Australia), and had been among the most popular fragrances for men aged 25-40 until recently."
- "Would you care to live amongst beautiful women dedicated to exploring the boundaries of pleasure every moment of every day?"
- "Delavigne Corp, already considered a maverick in the cosmetics industry for its staunch refusal to use animals in the testing of its products, hopes to promote ecological awareness among customers as well as take advantage of a new wave of environmental consciousness brought to national attention by the recent bestseller "Global Warming: It's all your fault"."
- "Report Title: Cosmetics Buying and Attitudes Among Modern Men"
- "It's the most listened to genre of music among angry white teenagers."
Exercise 1
'Amidst this ocean of mediocrity...'.
From the list below, choose the term closest in meaning with amidst:
From the list below, choose the term closest in meaning with amidst:
'Amidst this ocean of mediocrity...'.
From the list below, choose the term closest in meaning with amidst:
From the list below, choose the term closest in meaning with amidst:
This is an incorrect choice. The term 'despite' introduces a contrast within a sentence and is synonymous with 'even though'. Example: I am going to invite her to my party, despite the fact that she didn't invite me to her wedding. The terms 'among' and 'despite' are not similar in meaning.
This is an incorrect choice. The term 'considering' means 'taking into account'. Example: She did really well coming 5th in the running race, considering she doesn't have any legs. The terms 'amidst' and 'considering' are not similar in meaning.
This is the correct choice. The term 'amidst' (or amid) means 'in the middle of', 'surrounded by' or 'among' (also 'amongst'). 'Among' (and 'amongst') shares a similar meaning with 'amidst'. Belinda is saying that 'in the middle of' all the mediocre films currently at the cinema, she has discovered a good one (Decapitated Heads IX). Grammatical Note: 'among' and 'amongst' can't directly replace 'amidst' in Belinda's expression. Although these terms are synonymous, 'amidst' is often followed by a noun which cannot be separated or individually counted (a collective body). 'Among' and 'amongst' are used in reference to countable quantities, and so we couldn't say 'among the ocean of mediocrity'.
This is an incorrect choice. The term 'besides' means 'apart from'. Example: I don't want to go shopping. Besides, I don't have any money so I couldn't go even if I wanted to. Do not confuse the term 'besides' with the adverb 'beside' which refers to location. Example: 'Come and sit beside me you gorgeous man!'
Exercise 2
Bruno writes that the "first six months of this year have been among the most successful in the Delavigne Corporation's history".
This means that these months have been:
This means that these months have been:
Bruno writes that the "first six months of this year have been among the most successful in the Delavigne Corporation's history".
This means that these months have been:
This means that these months have been:
This is not the best choice here. If this were true, Bruno would have written "the six months preceding June 30th have been the most successful in the Delavigne Corporation's history". The fact that Bruno includes "among" in his sentence means that this is not the case.
This is the right answer. If, for example, a painting is among an artist's best works, then it is one of their best works, but not necessarily the very best. Another example: "Quinoa is among my favourite foods" Note that in the UK, we can also use the term "amongst".
This is not the best choice here. If this were true, Bruno would have written "the six months preceding June 30th have been the most successful in the recent past". The fact that Bruno writes "in the Delavigne Corporation's history" means that he is referring to "since the company began", without a time limit.
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