amid

preposition

ə-ˈmid 

variants or amidst

ə-ˈmidst 

-ˈmitst

1

: in or into the middle of : surrounded by : among

amid the crowd

2

a

: during

amid the fighting

b

: with the accompaniment of

resigned amid rumors of misconduct

Synonyms

• among
• amongst
• mid
• midst
• through

Examples of amid in a Sentence

It was hard to hear amid all the cheering.

The investigation comes amid growing concerns.

Amid such changes, one thing stayed the same.

He managed to escape amid the confusion.

There was a single dark bird amid a flock of white pigeons.

Recent Examples on the Web

The strike comes just one week before Christmas, amid the rush of last-minute holiday gift deliveries. —Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 20 Dec. 2024

The release date comes after the movie, written and directed by Elijah Bynum, had a setback amid Majors' legal issues with his former girlfriend Grace Jabbari. —Charmaine Patterson, People.com, 19 Dec. 2024

There were three major New York museums missing from the conversation this year—the Frick Collection, the New Museum, and the Studio Museum in Harlem, all of them closed amid ongoing expansion efforts and all with plans to reopen in 2025. —Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 19 Dec. 2024

The new hardware comes amid soaring demand for cruises. —Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 19 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

amid from Middle English amidde, from Old English onmiddan, from on + middan, dative of midde mid; amidst from Middle English amiddes, from amidde + -es -s

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

amid

preposition

ə-ˈmid 

variants or amidst

-ˈmidst 

: in or into the middle of

amid the crowd