amidst

[uh-midst]

preposition

1. amid.

Word History and Origins

Origin of amidst¹

1250–1300; Middle English amiddes; amid, -s ¹; for -t against, amongst, etc.

Example Sentences

It has 147 bricks-and-mortar shops which have become too expensive to maintain amidst rising rents.

From BBC

“Sometimes it was toxic as hell. But we did what we made the most of what it was, even amidst all of the dysfunction. We made a f— up lil family.”

From Los Angeles Times

But amidst that variety of weather one theme stands out - it has been very warm.

From BBC

“It’s too early to tell what we’re going to see, but if we continue to see these numbers, it’s both going to mean a rise in denials and very few cases adjudicated amidst more and more applications being filed, which is really troubling,” Dahlstrom said.

From Los Angeles Times

Yet amidst the challenges, new findings offer a surprising ray of hope - especially for mango lovers.

From BBC

When To Use

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.