Between has been used of more than two items since Old English; it is especially appropriate to signify a one-to-one relationship, regardless of the number of items.

Feb 21, 2026 · It is sometimes said that between usually applies to two things, while among applies to more than two things. According to the Oxford English Dictionary: "In all senses, between has been, …

And between is always used to express location or position in the middle of any number of things that are limits or boundaries around the point: This city is located at a point between New York, Chicago, …

We use between to refer to two things which are clearly separated. We use among to talk about things which are not clearly separated because they are part of a group or crowd or mass of objects: …

In an intermediate situation: My roommates disagreed and I was caught in between.

Definition of between preposition in Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

BETWEEN definition: in the space separating (two points, objects, etc.). See examples of between used in a sentence.

The prepositions between and among are close in meaning, but there is an important difference in how they are used. Use between when you are talking or writing about two people or things.

If something is between two things or is in between them, it has one of the things on one side of it and the other thing on the other side. She left the table to stand between the two men.

They put up a fence between their house and their neighbor's house. There are fences between all the houses.