Top 150 Prepositions List in English with Meanings and Examples

In this lesson, we will discuss the definition of the preposition and will also see the top 150 Prepositions list in English with their meanings and examples. Prepositions are essential to English grammar and play a significant role in making sentences with proper meaning and understanding. However, now let us know the definition of a Preposition.

Definition of a Preposition

‘Pre’ means ‘before,’ and ‘position’ means ‘situation.’ A word placed before a noun, pronoun, or noun-equivalent to show its relation to any other word in a sentence is called a preposition.

For example: in, on, to, above, within, between, under, etc. Look at these examples to get a clear idea about prepositions:

Prepositions are marked in bold for easy identification:

• He has been living in the place for three years.
• The mobile phone is on the bed.
• No one had access to the internet for a while.
• The birds are flying above the building.
• The game is over right now.
• Please finish the project within one month.
• They have a good relationship with themselves.
• The coach works under the team.

Let us see a list of 150 prepositions in English grammar with their meanings and examples.

A Comprehensive List of 150 Prepositions with Their meanings and examples

The top 150 Prepositions listed in English with their meanings and examples are given below:

1. Abhorrent to

Hateful, loathsome

• Don’t be abhorrent to the poor people.
• We have to be abhorrent to bad people in our society.
• He doesn’t look abhorrent to his best friend.

2. Abound in 

Be plentiful, be numerous

• The number of casualties abounds in the hospital.
• This class abounds in many students.
• There are a considerable number of tourists who abound in the sea beach.

3. Absent from

Not present in the place

• He was absent from the meeting.
• My friend was absent from the picnic spot.
• I was absent from the public debate.

4. Absorbed in

Concentrated, sunk

• The boy is absorbed in the study.
• He is absorbed in the class.
• She was absorbed in the cooking.

5. Accompanied by

Go alone with, travel with

• His sister accompanies by his family.
• My friend was accompanied by his bike.
• The teacher accompanied the students by a tourist group.

6. Accused of 

Charge with, indicted for

• This man is accused of murder.
• He was accused of gambling.
• You had been accused of money laundering.

7. Add to

Attach, put on, put in

• Let’s add to the music also.
• Please don’t forget to add to the laptop in my bag.
• We have to add to all the materials for the conference.

8. Addicted to

Devoted to, obsessed with

• He is addicted to the drug.
• My friend was addicted to playing cards.
• You shouldn’t be addicted to bad things.

9. Adjacent to

Adjoining, neighboring

• This shop is adjacent to my house.
• The coffee bar is adjacent to the college.
• The college is adjacent to the university.

10. Admit to

Acknowledge, confess, reveal

• He admits to this misdeed.
• My brother admits to his failure.
• You should be admitted to your bad habits.

11. Admit into

To allow someone or something to enter

• She allows him to admit into the room.
• The teacher admits the student into the class.
• My friends intend to admit into the party.

12. Adapt to

Adjust, transform

• I fail to adapt to the place.
• My parents adapt to new weather.
• You have to adapt to the situation.

13. Adhere to

Comply with, be faithful

• He adheres to the code of conduct.
• Everyone should adhere to their parents.
• She has to adhere to new rules and regulations.

14. Afraid of

frightened, scared

• I’m afraid of snakes.
• My friend is afraid of ghosts.
• They are afraid of playing with us.

15. Affection for

Love, fondness

• She has enough affection for her son.
• Every parent has affections for their children.
• We should have affection for the poor.

16. Affectionate to

Adoring, devoted

• The boy is affectionate to his parents.
• Miss Lorren was affectionate to her husband.
• You have to be affectionate to your friends.

17. Agree with

To decide something together

• I agree with the matter.
• He agrees with the new business dell.
• She was agreed with the new law for women.

18. Aim at

To intend, planning to achieve

• Fernandez aims at reaching the destination.
• He aims at being a doctor.
• They aim at winning the match today.

19. Alarmed at

Panic, shock, terrify

• We should be alarmed at natural disasters.
• The country was alarmed at the earthquake.
• Mr. Joseph is alarmed at climate change in the world.

20. Allot to

Allocate, assign

• Let us allot to distribute some money for the poor.
• We should be allotted our useless clothes to the street children.
• The authority is allotted a new building to the school.

21. Alternative to

Different, replacement

• He has no alternative to learning English.
• You don’t have any alternative to attending the class.
• She doesn’t have any alternation to follow the commandment of her parents.

22. Ambition for

Aspiration, goal

• Everyone has an ambition for a happy life.
• He has the ambition to be an engineer for the rest of his life.
• You should have an ambition for your future.

23. Angry with

Annoyed, irritated

• Nobody is angry with an honest man.
• My friends are angry with me.
• Miss Jammy was angry with her child.

24. Anxious about

Worried, concerned

• I’m anxious about my examination.
• He was anxious about his wrong decision.
• You have to be anxious about your study.

25. Apart from

Excluding, except for

• He can do the work apart from his friend.
• She can’t go there apart from her husband.
• You will pass the examination apart from your laziness.

26. Apathy towards

Lack of interest

• I have apathy towards bad people.
• She is apathetic towards meeting her friends.

They are apathetic towards playing him.

27. Apology for

Expression of regret

• You should apologize for your sins.
• He apologizes for making this misdeed.
• They apologize for not attending the class.

28. Apply for

Put in an application, register

• The man has applied for a government job.
• He applied for taking the admission to the college.
• They are applied for participating in the program.

29. Appointed to

Nominate, engage

• He is appointed to a news organization.
• She was appointed to her job.
• Mr. Jolil appointed some workers to finish the work.

30. Aptitude for

Talent, skill

• She has an aptitude for an exceptional recipe.
• He had no aptitude for joining the competitive examination.
• They have the aptitude for wining the cricket match.

31. Argue against

Allege, oppose

• He argues against the criminal.
• Mr. Imral argues against gambling.
• You should argue against bad activities accrued throughout the country.

32. Arrive at

Come, appear, approach

• Mr. Jacob has arrived at the station.
• I will arrive at the place at 9 am.
• You have to arrive at the meeting on time.

33. Ascend to

Go up, climb

• The older man ascends to the kingdom.
• Mr. Claif ascends to a new position.
• Miss Katherine ascends to the rank.

34. Ashamed of

Guilty, regretful

• He was ashamed of himself for his bad work.
• You should be ashamed of failing the examination.
• They are ashamed of losing the cricket match.

35. Asked for

Request, needed, expected

• Mrs. Kitty asked for some money.
• He asked to buy a new bike from his father.
• My friend asks me for a glass of water.

36. Assured of

Self-confident, positive

• He is assured of this future.
• The boy was assured of passing the examination.
• Lora was assured of performing in the program.

37. At lunch

A meal is eaten in the middle of the day

• Please meet me at lunch with your friend.
• He treats us at lunch at 2 pm.
• The organization requests Mr. Jacob to take the offer at lunch.

38. Attend to

Be present, take part in

• I have attended the program to meet with my friends.
• My brother attends a new event to participate in a debate.
• The professor will attend the program to deliver a motivational speech.

39. Authority on

Expert, professional

• Mr. Kossek has authority on the topic.
• My teacher has enough authority on the subject.
• He has not had enough authority on mathematics.

40. Aware of

Conscious, awake to, alert to

• We should be aware of natural disasters.
• You have to be aware of your plan.
• She is aware of participating in the interview.

41. Bad at

Unskilled, unprofessional

• He is bad at Mathematics.
• I’m bad at playing football.
• She is bad at swimming.

42. Beneficial to

Favorable, advantage

• Hard work is beneficial to success.
• This product is beneficial to make more profit.
• He wanted to be beneficial by selling more clothes.

43. Bias towards

Oppose, contrary to

• His investigation is biased towards the actual incident.
• He is biased towards making the report.
• I want to bias towards criminal activities.

44. Blind to

Unconcerned about, apathetic towards

• He is blind to obey his duty.
• She was blind to care for her child.
• They are blind to taking responsibility for their failure.

45. Boast of

Self-praise, pride

• The man boasts of this good work.
• He boasts of his profession.
• You boast of your study plan.

46. Burden with

Worry, hardship, distress

• Katherine is burdened with the tragedy.
• He is burdened with maintaining his whole family.
• The student is burdened with over study.

47. By heart

From memory, word for word

• He reads the text by heart.
• I remember the incident by heart.
• Please do the job by heart.

48. Care for

Love, be fond of, adore

• You have to care for your parents.
• She is caring for her child.
• You should care for your health for interrupting the diseases.

49. Cast aside

Ignored, deny, decline

• Let’s cast aside the rubbish things.
• I’m cast aside by you.
• Unfortunately, you are cast aside by our best friend.

50. Catch at

Seize, grab, snatch

• The man catches at the ball.
• The police catch the criminal at the hidden place.
• You should catch the lesson at your home.

51. Cause for

Reason, justification

• Unconsciousness causes several diseases for us.
• Your bad habits cause lousy results for yourself.
• Criminal activities cause punishment for them.

52. Charge with

Accuse of, indicted for, put on trial for

• He is charged with murder.
• The man is charged with gambling.
• Mr. Jonshon was charged with corruption.

53. Combination of 

Union, blend, mixture

• This food is a combination of many items.
• The rainbow is a combination of several colors.
• She made food by the combination of many items.

54. Compare to

Estimate, measure, contrast

• He compares himself to an intellectual person.
• Don’t compare him to bad people.
• Mr. Cliff compares himself to an intellectual scholar.

55. Compatible with

Consistent in keeping

• You have to be compatible with this matter.
• He is compatible with learning English.
• Mr. Karim is compatible with illegally making money.

56. Competent for

Capable, proficient, skillful

•  He is competent for the project.
• The CEO of that company is competent for taking interviews.
• She is competent in doing her job perfectly for the company.

57. Complain to

Protest, make a complaint

• I want to complain to this team member.
• She complains about addressing some illegal things to us.
• Mr. Joshon intends to complain to stop gambling activities.

58. Comply with

Abide by, obey, adhere to

• We should comply with the supreme court.
• All of you have to comply with the new rules.
• They have to comply with the policy of the company.

59. Concern about

Worry, trouble, bother

• I’m concerned about my children for their responsibility.
• She is concerned about her final examination.
• He is concerned about his livelihood.

60. Confidence in

Trust, believe, faith

• She has enough confidence in her result.
• They had the confidence to do the task in the field position.
• Mr. Ariel is confident in obeying his duty correctly.

61. Congratulate on

Wish someone’s good luck

• Mr. Dubbi congratulates on his son’s success.
• My father congratulates me on my final result.
• The officer congratulates his workers on fulfilling the target.

62. Consist of

Be composed, be made up, be formed

• This building consists of several materials.
• The book consists of a lot of lessons.
• My bedroom consists of an attractive decoration.

63. Contemporary of

Peer, fellow

• S.T. Coleridge was a contemporary poet of Wordsworth.
• Tagor is a contemporary writer of Kazi Nazrul.
• He was disappointed to see the contemporary social situation.

64. Contrary to

Opposite, opposed, contradictory

• It’s a contrary product to the original.
• The boy is contrary to his father.
• The girl is contrary to her mother.

65. Contribution to

Participate in, involved in

• He has contributed to fulfilling the project.
• I don’t have any contribution to my family.
• My father has made a lot of contributions to our family.

66. Control over

Limitation, restriction

• Police have control over the investigation.
• He doesn’t have control over the situation.
• The teacher didn’t have control over the failure of his students.

67. Convinced of

Persuade, satisfy, assure

•  She is convinced of the matter.
• I wish to convince him of taking the decision.
• He doesn’t convince his parents to participate in the events.

68. Cope with

To ensure something

• Ultimately I cope with my decision.
• Mr. Kent and his family cope with their livelihood.
• You have to cope with your study.

69. Count upon

Depend, rely on

• He counts upon his father.
• I count upon my family.
• Mrs. Lilly counts upon her friend.

70. Curse for

Swear word, oath, put the evil eye on

• The man is the curse for society.
• The boy is a course for his father.
• Dishonest people are always a curse for any nation.

71. Cruise to

Triumph, achieve success in

• We cruise to the game.
• They are making a plan to cruise to the situation.
• I have a dream to cruise to make a secure life.

72. Deal with

 Treat, handle

• He knows how to deal with his friends.
• The CEO of the company deals with a tough challenge.
• I’m dealing with the problem.

73. Depend on

Rely on upon, count upon

• Poor people depend on the rich.
• I’m dependent on my father.
• His family depends on his salary.

74. Desire to

Wish, aspiration, impulse

• He has a strong desire to make black money.
• She desires to travel abroad.
• Kamil desires to make a trip with his friends.

75. Die by

Passed away by a poison

• The older man is died by poison.

76. Die for

Passed away by the dedication.

•  He died for his nation.

77. Die from

Passed away for the cause

• The boy died from hunger.

78. Die of

Passed away by disease

• She died of cancer.

79. Different from

Dissimilar, unlike, contrasting

•  The boy is different from his sister.

80. Difficulty in

Awkwardness, trouble

• There are some difficulties in this sector.

81. Disappointed with

Depressed, distressed, discourage

• I’m disappointed with your recent approach.

82. Divide among

Separate into many portions

• Would you please divide the food among the children?

83. Divide between

Separate into two portions

• I don’t want to divide between my friends.

84. Dwell in

Reside, live, lodge

• They dwell in the place for a long time.

85. Dwell upon

Talk over, talk about, debate

• You should not dwell upon any negative topic.

86. Eligible for

Entitled, permitted, allowed

• He is eligible for this offer.

87. Enter into

Get involved in, go in for

• They enter into the work.

88. Entitled to

Make eligible, authorize

• He was entitled to the land.

89. Equal to

Capable of, fit for

• The skilled person is equal to the job.

90. Essential for

Necessary, vital, significant

• Book is essential for gaining knowledge.

91. Exception to

Different, distinctive, dissimilar

• He is the exception to others.

92. Exclude from

Keep out, deny access to

• They exclude participating in the program.

93. Experience in

Skill, practical knowledge, exposure to

• He has enough experience in English.

94. Face with

Look out on, look toward

• She doesn’t want to face a new problem with her friend.

95. Fail in

Be unsuccessful in not pass

• He failed in the English examination.

96. Faith in

Trust, believe, confidence

• Mrs. Lilly has faith in her religion.

97. Fed up with

Boring, tedious, monotonous

• I’m fed up with you.

98. Fond of

Keen on, passionate about, affection for

•  She is fond of her child.

99. Genius for

Brilliance, greatly intelligent, skilled

• He is a genius for teaching.

100. Get into

Blend, mingle, combine

•  I get into the new people. 

101. Give in

 Except, take on

• She gets in her failure.

102. Go down

Drown, immerse, soak

• The boy goes down the river for the lack of swimming.

103. Good at

Brilliance, greatly intelligent, skilled

• He is good at mathematics.

104. Guilty of

To blame, blameworthy

• The man is guilty of the crime.

105. Hanker after

Wish, want, fancy, aspiration

• He hankers after getting a good job.

106. Ignorant of

 Uneducated, unknowledgeable

• The older man is ignorant of technology.

107. Imposed on

Force, inflict, thrust

• The government imposed extra VAT on some goods.

108. Incapable of

Unable to, not capable of

• He is incapable of making a debate.

109. Indebted to, for

Appreciative, obligated

• I’m indebted to you.

110. Independent of

Sovereign, free, autonomous

• The country is independent of persecution.

111. Indulge in

Give oneself up to, nourish

• He indulges in the crime.

112. Innocent of

Guiltless, blameless

• The man is innocent of the charge.

113. Inquiry into

Investigation, query, examination

• The police inquiries into the murder.

114. Insist on

Persist, not give up

• He insists on passing the examination.

115. In spite of

Despite, regardless of

• I will do the work in spite of many difficulties.

116. Interest in

Attentiveness, notice

• I have an interest in music.

117. Interfere with

Barge into, get involved in

• Please do not interfere with us.

118. Laugh at

Chuckle, scream

• We should not laugh at the poor.

119. Lead to

Direction, margin, advantage

• The man leads to a new car.

120. Liberate from, in

Set free, release

• He is liberated from the hospital.

121. Monument to

Memorial, Statue, pillar

• The Statue of liberty is the most remarkable monument in the world to visit.

122. Mourn for

Grieve, lament, sorrow

• We should mourn for the departed soul.

123. A necessity for

The essential requirement, necessary

• Good food is a necessity for good health.

124. Object to

Protest, oppose

• I object to criminal activities.

125. Obliged to, for

Compel, bind, make constrain

• The employee was obliged to do the job.

126. Originate from

Derive, begin, start

• The quotation is originated from the novel.

127. Penalty for, with

Punishment, sanction

• The criminal gets the death penalty for his misdeed.

128. Perfect for

Right, appropriate, suitable

• This cloth is perfect for the girl.

129. Play with

Action, activity, relax, engage in

• I have no interest in playing with you.

130. Popular for

In favor, accepted, fashionable

• Cricket is a popular game for some people.

131. Pray for

Invoke, beg, plead

• Please pray for me.

132. Prefer to

Like better, desire, choose

• I prefer the song to listen to now.

133. Respect for

Appreciation, adoration, a tribute

• We should have enough respect for our parents.

134. Respond to

React, replay, return

• Please respond to the question.

135. Retire from

Depart, resign, take off

• He retired from his work.

136. Return to

Arrival, entry, restoration

• The man returns to the adventure.

137. Revolt against

Revolution, rebellion

• The revolutionary group revolted against the army.

138. Run-on

Rush, race, pace

• He is running on the way.

139. Shout at

Roar, whoop, bark

• Please don’t shout at the place.

140. Smile at

Laugh, beam, look amused

• He smiles at the comedy show.

141. A solution to

Clarification, resolving, explanation

• Let us find a solution to the problem.

142. Sorry for

Regretful, apologetic

• I’m sorry for the incident.

143. Suffer from

Hurt, ache, feel pain

• He is suffering from a severe headache.

144. Suited to

Appropriate, suitable

• This job is suited to you.

145. Superior to

High level, senior, upper

• My parents are superior to me.

146. Sympathy for

Pity, condolence, consolation

• He has enough sympathy for the orphanage.

147. Taste for, of

Flavour, savor, smack, experience

• I have no taste for/of this food.

148. True to

Accurate, perfect, authentic

• He is true to his behavior.

149. Valid for

Accurate, perfect, authentic, true

• This house is valid for five years.

150. Walk-up

Step, ramble, parade

• Please walk for your future.

Conclusion

In fine, it can be said preposition plays a vital role in making a sentence perfectly. The above 150 prepositions list in English can be handy to make new sentences.

We have to memorize the list of prepositions in English to make sentences more accurately and correctly.