List of English prepositions

This is a list of English prepositions. Many English prepositions are compounds of bare roots and affixes such as a-, be-, -side, and -st, giving English a relatively high number of morphemically distinct prepositions. However, these processes are no longer productive, and many of these prepositions have fallen out of use or become limited to a certain dialect. English prepositions generally remain a closed class.

Some single words

Prepositions

• aboard
• about
• above
• absent (law)
• across
  • cross (archaic)
• after
• against
  • 'gainst, gainst (poetic or archaic); again, gain (archaic)
• along
  • 'long (abbreviation), alongst (archaic)
• alongside
• amid
  • amidst, mid, midst (poetic or archaic);
• among
  • amongst (in US English poetic or archaic)
  • 'mong, mong, 'mongst (abbreviations)
• apropos (rare for apropos of)
• apud (formal)
• around
  • 'round, round (abbreviations)
• as
• astride
• at
  • @ (abbreviation)
• atop
  • ontop (nonstandard)
• bar
• before
  • afore (dialectal or archaic)
  • B4 (abbreviation)
• behind
  • ahind (dialectal or archaic)
• below
  • ablow, allow (dialectal or archaic)
• beneath
  • 'neath, neath (dialectal or archaic)
• beside
• besides
• between
  • atween (dialectal or archaic)
  • betwixt ("dialectal or archaic')
• beyond
  • ayond (dialectal or archaic)
• but
• by
• chez (rare)
• circa
  • c., ca. (abbreviations)
• come
• dehors (law)
• despite
  • spite (abbreviation)
• down
• during
• except
• for
  • 4 (abbreviation)
• from
• in
• inside
• into
• less
• like
• minus
• near
  • nearer (comparative), nearest (superlative)
  • anear (archaic)
• notwithstanding (also postpositional)
• of
  • o' (poetic or eye-dialect)
• off
• on
• onto
• opposite
• out
  • outen (archaic or dialectal)
• outside
• over
  • o'er (poetic)
• pace (formal)
• past
• per
• plus
• post (often hyphenated)
• pre (often hyphenated)
• pro (often hyphenated)
• qua (formal)
• sans (formal)
• save
  • sauf (archaic)
• short
• since
  • sithence (archaic)
• than
• through
  • thru (abbreviation)
• throughout
  • thruout (abbreviation)
• till
• to
  • 2 (abbreviation)
• toward, towards
• under
• underneath
• unlike
• until
  • 'til, til (abbreviations)
• unto (obsolete, poetic)
• up
• upon
  • 'pon, pon (abbreviations)
• upside
• versus
  • vs., v. (abbreviations)
• via
• vice (formal)
• vis-à-vis (formal)
• with
  • w/, wi', c̄ (abbreviations)
• within
  • w/i (abbreviation)
• without
  • w/o (abbreviation)

Multiple words

Two words

• according to
• across from
• adjacent to
• ahead of
• along with
• apart from
• as for
• as of
• as per
• as regards
• aside from
• back to
• base on
• because of
• close to
• counter to
• down on
• due to
• except for
• far from
• inside of
• instead of
• left of
• near to
• next to
• opposite of
• opposite to
• other than
• out from
• out of
• outside of
• owing to
• prior to
• pursuant to
• rather than
• regardless of
• right of
• subsequent to
• such as
• thanks to
• up to
• based on

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 opposed to
• as soon as
• as well as
• with regard to
• in regards to

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
• for lack of
• for want of
• in accordance with
• in addition to
• in case of
• in front of
• in lieu of
• 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 dialectal

See also archaic forms of modern prepositions listed above.

• abaft (nautical or archaic)
• abeam (nautical)
• aboon, abun, abune (dialectal)
• afront (dialectal or archaic)
• ajax (Polari)
• alongst
• aloof
• anenst, anent (rare, U.K. dialectal)
• athwart (nautical or archaic)
• atop, ontop
• behither
• ben (dialectal)
• betwixt, atwix (dialectal or archaic)
  • 'twixt, twixt (abbreviations)
• bewest (dialectal or archaic)
• benorth (dialectal or archaic)
• emforth
• ere (poetic or archaic)
  • or
• forby (dialectal or archaic)
• foreanent, forenenst (dialectal or archaic)
• foregain, foregainst (dialectal or archaic)
• forth
• fromward, froward, fromwards
• furth (Scotland)
• gainward
• imell (dialectal or archaic)
• inmid, inmiddes
• mang (Devon)
• mauger, maugre
• nearhand (archaic or dialectal)
• next (archaic for next to; originally superlative of nigh)
• nigh, anigh, anighst (poetic or archaic)
• outwith (dialectal)
• overthwart (archaic or dialectal)
• quoad (formal; a Latin term)
• umbe, umb, um (archaic or dialectal)
• unto (archaic or poetic)
• uptill

Postpositions

• ago
• apart
• aside
  • aslant (archaic)
• away
• hence
• notwithstanding (also prepositional)
• on
• short (also prepositional)
• through (usually prepositional, but occurs in phrases like "the whole day through")
• withal (archaic)

Mnemonic

(Sung to the tune of Yankee Doodle)

About Above Across Against Among Around At After Before Beside Behind Between Beyond By Down During Into For From In Except Near Of Off To Over Past Throughout Through Towards On Up Without Until With Under

See also

• Preposition and postposition
• Preposition stranding

External links

• Wiktionary list of English prepositions (more comprehensive)
• The Visual Guide to English Prepositions Part 1/2: Place & Direction (Infographic)
• The Visual Guide to English Prepositions Part 2/2: Time (Infographic)

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