amidst
Americanpreposition
Usage
What’s the difference between amidst and amid? Amidst and amid mean the same thing: in the middle of or during.This can apply to spaces (as in I found my keys amidst/amid all of my other stuff) or situations (as in It was hard to concentrate amidst/amid all the chaos).Amid is the older and original form of the word. The -st ending (which is the same one found in other words like whilst and against) does not change the meaning. The same thing applies to among and amongst (which can mean the same thing as amid and amidst).Contrary to popular misconceptions, amidst is not the British English version of amid. Although amidst and amid are completely interchangeable, amid is more commonly used.Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between amidst and amid, including how amidst got that -st.
Etymology
Origin of amidst
1250–1300; Middle English amiddes; amid, -s 1; for -t against, amongst, etc.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Amidst a deafening roar, UltraServers packed with 144 of the Trainium AI-accelerator chips were being put through their paces at Annapurna in a routine check prior to delivery.
From Barron's
“CRM’s print has the potential to set the tone for enterprise software for the coming months amidst the debates around seat deflation and AI,” Piper Sandler analyst Billy Fitzsimmons wrote on Sunday.
From Barron's
It says KPop Forever! will "take audiences on a journey that they will never forget with four epic live vocalists, accompanied by four world class dancers amidst a background of eye-popping lighting and effects".
From BBC
Investor sentiment has shifted to AI’s broader impact, with concerns over tariffs and fiscal health amidst sideways trading.
From Barron's
In between that and bites of food that was our favorite — hardly able to enjoy it amidst the tension — he pulled something else from his memory bank to share about me, neither of us knowing that it would be one of our final moments face to face before he died of a heart attack, alone on his bathroom floor, just a few months later.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
