Prepositions of direction give readers a sense of place or location. The following chart lists different prepositions of direction, their definitions, and examples

Preposition

Meaning

Example

above

higher relative to something else

The milk is above the soda in the refrigerator.

across

on the other side of

My friend lives across the street from me.

along

beside

The ducks are eating along the river.

among

within a group

The girl was sitting among her friends.

around

in a circular way

They told stories around the campfire.

at

indicates a particular point

Meet me at the stop sign.

behind

at the back of

The employees parked behind the store.

below

lower relative to something else

I hung the poster below the mirror.

beside

next to

Come stand beside me.

close to

near

The flowers are close to the produce section.

over

above

The spices are over the sink.

through

from one point to the next

The river runs through the woods.

toward

in the direction of

The man started walking toward the exit.

up

from low to high

The store is right up the road.

down

from high to low

The boy tumbled down the hill.

between

in the space separating two things

The ring fell between the couch cushions.

by

near

The thrift store is by the church.

inside/in

within

Have you ever been inside an abandoned building?

near

close by

The movie theater is by the interstate.

next to

beside

The library is next to the post office.

on

touching something

Put the mail on the table.

onto

moving on top of something

The dog climbed onto the bed.

off

away from

Don’t jump off that wall.

past

on the farther side of

She drove right past the house.

under

below something

The cat slept under the bed.

Some prepositions are trickier than others. For example, it’s not so logical to be on a bus or a train or a plane rather than in one, yet that’s the way we say it. While you are on the plane (i.e., inside the plane), there is also a logo on the plane, and two wings on the plane, though they’re not inside with you. When in doubt about how to use a specific preposition, look up the proper term in a dictionary.