What is a preposition? 

Prepositions are words that tell how one thing is relating to or interacting with another. For example, “The man sat on the chair.” The preposition in this sentence is on. Prepositions tell us where something is in relation to something else. The man isn’t under the chair, for example. He’s on it.

They can also be a little bit more abstract. For and to are both prepositions, as is despite. Sometimes, it seems like prepositions are the miscellaneous words that don’t fit anywhere else. There really are rules, though, and examples of prepositions help more than anything.

Many prepositions have nearly the exact same meaning. This makes them tricky to use properly unless you read or listen to a lot of English. This will help you recognize, for example, when to use on versus when to use in. At and to are also commonly mistaken for one another. There aren’t always specific rules to memorize so much as phrases and learning which prepositions go with which words.

If you study propositions, you’ll probably see a lot of people who claim that you shouldn’t end a sentence with a preposition. That’s not actually true. It’s fine to end a sentence with a preposition, as long as it’s not just an extra word that isn’t needed. For example, “Where is the dog at?” does not need that last word, which happens to be a preposition. It should be removed. Those are the only types of prepositions to watch for at the end of sentences.

Preposition List

There are around 150 prepositions in the English language, and we’re going to list all of them we could find. They are broken down into categories of prepositions, based on how that type of preposition functions.

This list contains one-word prepositions as well as complex prepositions. Complex prepositions are when more than one word works together as a preposition. This is not the same as a prepositional phrase, which is a phrase starting with a preposition but ending in a noun.

Some of these prepositions can function in multiple categories, depending on how they’re used. They will appear in more than one list.

Some of these words also fit into other speech categories, especially adverbs and conjunctions.

List of Prepositions of time

Prepositions of time are prepositions that we use to indicate something’s relationship with time.

1. About
2. After
3. Ago
4. Around
5. At
6. Before
7. By
8. Circa
9. During
10. Following
11. For
12. From
13. Gone
14. In
15. On
16. Past
17. Prior to
18. Since
19. Until/till
20. Up to
21. Up until

List of Prepositions of Place

Prepositions of place are ones that tell where one thing is in space compared to another.

1. Aboard
2. Above
3. Across
4. Against
5. Alongside
6. Amid
7. Among
8. Apart from
9. Astride
10. At
11. Atop
12. Behind
13. Below
14. Beneath
15. Beside
16. Between
17. Beyond
18. By
19. Close to
20. Far
21. Far from
22. Forward of
23. From
24. In
25. In between
26. In front of
27. Inside
28. Into
29. Minus
30. Near
31. Near to
32. Next to
33. Of
34. Off
35. On
36. On board
37. On top of
38. Onto
39. Upon
40. Opposite
41. Out
42. Out of
43. Outside
44. Outside of
45. Over
46. Round
47. Through
48. Throughout
49. To
50. Together with
51. Toward/towards
52. Whether this word ends with an -s depends on what region’s English is being used.
53. Under
54. Underneath
55. Up against
56. With
57. Within
58. Without

List of Prepositions of Movement

Prepositions of movement (also known as prepositions of direction) tell how something moves in relation to another thing. Many of these are also prepositions of place. Prepositions of place tell where something is, and prepositions of movement tell how something is moving.

1. Above
2. Across
3. Against
4. Ahead
5. Along
6. Along with
7. Amid
8. Around
9. Away
10. Away from
11. Behind
12. Below
13. Beneath
14. By means of
15. Down
16. Further to
17. In between
18. Into
19. Off
20. Off of
21. On
22. Onto
23. Over
24. Out of
25. Past
26. Round
27. Through
28. Toward/towards
29. Under
30. Up
31. Via

List of Prepositions of Manner and Phrase

Prepositions of manner (also known as prepositions of agency or prepositions of instrument) tell us how something is done. This category also includes many legal phrases and whether or not people are includes or excluded.

1. About
2. According to
3. Anti
4. As
5. As for
6. As per
7. As to
8. As well as
9. Aside from
10. Bar
11. Barring
12. Because of
13. Besides
14. But for
15. By
16. But
17. Concerning
18. Considering
19. Contrary to
20. Counting
21. Cum
22. Depending on
23. Despite
24. Due to
25. Except
26. Except for
27. Excepting
28. Excluding
29. Given
30. In addition to
31. in case of
32. In face of
33. In favor of/in favour of
34. In light of
35. In spite of
36. In view of
37. Including
38. Instead of
39. Less
40. Like
41. Notwithstanding
42. Of
43. On account of
44. On behalf of
45. Other than
46. Owing to
47. Pending
48. Per
49. Plus
50. Preparatory to
51. Pro
52. Re
53. Regarding
54. Regardless of
55. Save
56. Save for
57. Saving
58. Than
59. Thanks to
60. Unlike
61. Versus
62. With
63. With reference to
64. With regard to
65. Worth

List of Prepositions | Image

Full prepositions list in one table

List of Prepositions (with Examples)

Examples of Prepositions in Sentences

The following are some examples of prepositions being used in sentences. There is one example for each category of preposition we include in the list of prepositions below.

That happened during the 1900s.

This is a preposition that shows how the event relates to time. Prepositions of time have a lot of overlap with adverbs, and many words are listed as both adverbs and prepositions.

The ball is on the box.

This preposition shows where the ball is in relation to the box. It is a preposition of place.

He ran around the corner.

This preposition tells how he moved in relation to the corner. It is a preposition of movement or direction.

She wrote the paper with Sarah.

This preposition tells the manner in which the paper was written in relation to these two people. This category is a little more open, and it’s named differently according to who you consult. It primarily focuses on how people or things relate to functioning together. This category of prepositions often includes words that are also conjunctions.

Prepositions of Place

List of Prepositions of Place with Examples

Learn a prepositions list with pictures, meaning, and example sentences.

In

Meaning: Used with the name of a container, place, or area to say where someone or something is

Example: There is some milk in the fridge.

On

Meaning: Touching a surface or being supported by a surface

Example: He sat on the chair.

Under

Meaning: Lower than (or covered by) something else

Example: She was hiding under the table.

Next to

Meaning: Further forward than someone or something else.

Example: There was a little girl sitting next to him.

Between

Meaning: Something in the middle of two objects or things (or places)

Example: The English Channel is between France and England.

Among

Meaning: In the middle of or surrounded by other people or things

Example: Mary is popular among the students.

In front of

Meaning: Further forward than someone or something else

Example: I can’t see because of the person in front of me.

Behind

Meaning: At the back (part) of something

Example: He put his hands behind his back.

Above

Meaning: In a higher position than something else

Example: The helicopter hovered above the house.

Below

Meaning: Lower than something else

Example: A small stream runs below that bridge.

Near

Meaning: Near and close to are similar to next to/beside but there is more of a distance between the two things

Example: Our house is near the supermarket.

Far from

Meaning: A long distance away

Example: The restaurant is not far from here.

At

Meaning: Used to say exactly where something or someone is

Example: She lost her earrings at the door.

Preposition List with Pictures

List of prepositions of place in one pictur

Prepositions of Movement

List of Prepositions of Movement with Examples

Learn prepositions list with pictures, meaning, and example sentences.

Down

The preposition down indicates movement from a higher to a lower position.

Example: It came down the stairs.

Up

The preposition up indicates movement from a lower to a higher position.

Example: It went up the stairs.

Out of

The preposition out of indicates movement from inside a space to outside a space.

Example: She flounced out of the house.

Into

The preposition into refers to movement from the outside to the inside of a three dimensional space and it can be used to express the idea of movement in the direction of something, often resulting in actually hitting it.

Example: We went into the shop on the corner.

Toward

The preposition toward is used to say that someone or something moves, looks, faces,… in the direction of someone or something.

Example: He was standing with his back toward me.

Away

The preposition away is used to say that someone leaves a place or person, or stays some distance from a place or person.

Example: She turned away and stared out of the window.

Past

The preposition past describes a movement at the far side of something or beyond something.

Example: Walk past the theater on the right and the bank is on the left.

Over

Pin

The preposition over is used to talk about movement from one side of a place to another. It usually refers to movement in relation to two-dimensional surfaces (a lawn, lake, table etc) or to show when something is positioned on the opposite side of a line (a river, bridge, road etc).

Example: The cat jumped over the wall.

Onto

The preposition onto used to show movement into or on a particular place.

Example: The cat jumped onto the roof.

Off

The preposition off describes a movement away from something.

Example: We get off the train at the next stop.

Around

The preposition around refers to going along its edge in a circular direction.

Example: You must drive around the city center to reach the cinema.

Under

The preposition under describes a movement below the surface of something.

Example: The cat is under the table.

Along

The preposition along is used to show movement following a line, it is also sometimes used to show a specific position in relation to a line or to show when things are positioned in a line.

Example: He’s walking along the path.

Across

The preposition across is used for describing a position that is stretching from a certain place to the other or from one side to the other.

Example: You must walk across the street at the crosswalk.

Through

The preposition through is used for describing movement from particular point to the other or from one end to the other.

Example: The car went through the tunnel.

Preposition List with Pictures

List of prepositions of movement in one picture

Prepositions of Time

List of prepositions of time with examples.