List of English prepositions

This is a list of English prepositions. In English, some prepositions are short, mostly containing six letters or fewer. There are, however, many multi-word prepositions. Throughout the history of the English language, new prepositions have come into use, old ones have fallen out of use, and the meanings of existing prepositions have changed. The prepositions generally remain a closed class.

Single words

• a
• abaft
• abeam
• aboard
• about
• above
• absent
• across
• afore
• after
• against
• along
• alongside
• amid
• amidst
• among
• amongst
• an (see "a" for usage in front of consonants)
• anenst
• apropos ("apropos of" is a common derived term)
• apud
• around
• as (also an adverb and a conjunction)
• aside
• astride
• at
• athwart
• atop
• barring
• before
• behind
• below
• beneath
• beside
• besides
• between
• beyond
• but
• by
• circa (sometimes abbreviated as "c." or "ca.")
• concerning
• despite
• down
• during
• except
• excluding
• failing
• following
• for
• forenenst
• from
• given
• in
• including
• inside
• into
• like
• mid (from "amid". Usually used poetically.)
• midst (from "amidst". Usually used poetically.)
• minus
• modulo
• near (also "nigh")
• next
• notwithstanding (also used postpositionally)
• o' (apocopic form of of)
• of
• off
• on
• onto
• opposite
• out
• outside
• over
• pace
• past
• per
• plus
• pro
• qua
• regarding
• round
• sans
• save
• since
• than
• through, thru (informal)
• throughout, thruout (informal)
• till (same as "until", with prosodic restrictions)
• times
• to
• toward
• towards
• under
• underneath
• unlike
• until
• unto
• up
• upon
• versus, commonly abbreviated as "vs.", or (principally in law or sports) as "v."
• via
• vice, meaning "in place of"
• vis-à-vis
• with (sometimes written as "w/")
• within (sometimes written as "w/in" or "w/i")
• without (sometimes written as "w/o")
• worth

Multiple words

Two words

• according to
• ahead of
• apart from
• as for
• as of
• as per
• as regards
• aside from
• astern of
• back to
• because of
• close to
• due to
• except for
• far from
• in to (contracted as into)
• inside of (note that inside out is an adverb, not a preposition)
• instead of
• left of
• near to
• next to
• on to (contracted as onto)
• opposite of
• opposite to
• out from
• out of
• outside of
• owing to
• prior to
• pursuant to
• rather than
• regardless of
• right of
• subsequent to
• such as
• thanks to
• that of
• up to

Three words

• as far as is one example of the many expressions which can be analyzed as as+adjective+as rather than a multiword preposition
• as long as in the sense of if or since, rather than of the same length
• as opposed to
• as soon as
• as well as

Preposition + (article) + noun + preposition

English has many idiomatic expressions that act as prepositions that can be analyzed as a preposition followed by a noun (sometimes preceded by the definite or, occasionally, indefinite article) followed by another preposition. Common examples include:

• at the behest of
• by means of
• by virtue of
• for the sake of
• in accordance with
• in addition to
• in case of
• in front of
• in lieu of
• in order to
• in place of
• in point of
• in spite of
• on account of
• on behalf of
• on top of
• with regard to (sometimes written as "w/r/t")
• with respect to
• with a view to

Archaic or infrequently used

• anent
• anti (Greek loan word)
• apud (Latin loan word, restricted to use in scholarly works)
• ayond
• ayont
• behither
• betwixen
• betwixt
• biforn
• chez (French loan word)
• contra (Latin loan word)
• cum (Latin loan word)
• ere
• forby
• fornenst
• fornent
• froward or frowards or fromward
• gainst or 'gainst (from against)
• 'mongst (from amongst)
• neath or 'neath (from beneath)
• outwith
• overthwart
• pro (loan word)
• qua (Latin loan word)
• re or in re (Latin loan word)
• sans (French loan word)
• tofore
• toforn
• twixt or 'twixt (from betwixt)
• unto (largely supplanted by to; used in some formal, religious, or archaic contexts)
• vis-à-vis (loan word taken from French)

Not fully grammaticized

• concerning (alternate for "about", "with respect to")
• considering (alternate for "given")
• regarding (alternate for "about", "with respect to")
• worth

Preposition-like modifiers of quantified noun phrases

• apart from
• but
• except
• plus
• save

Postpositions

• ago as in "five years ago", sometimes considered an adverb rather than a postposition
• apart as in "this apart", also used prepositionally ("apart from this")
• aside as in "such examples aside", also used prepositionally ("aside from such examples")
• away as in "five light years away", sometimes considered an adverb or an adjective rather than a postposition
• hence as in "five years hence", sometimes considered an adverb rather than a postposition
• notwithstanding also used prepositionally
• on as in "five years on", also used prepositionally (some other prepositions can also be used in the same constructs, such as "in")
• through as in "the whole night through", also used prepositionally
• withal archaic as a postposition meaning with

External links

• Wiktionary list of English prepositions (more comprehensive)