With

With , noun

See Withe.

With , preposition

[Old English with, Anglo-Saxon wi{not transcribed} with, against; akin to Anglo-Saxon wi{not transcribed}er against, OFries. with, Old Saxon wi{not transcribed}, wi{not transcribed}ar, Dutch weder, weêr (in comp.), German wider against, wieder gain, Old High German widar again, against, Icelandic vi{not transcribed} against, with, by, at, Swedish vid at, by, Danish ved, Gothic wipra against, Sanskrit vi asunder. Compare Withdraw, Withers, Withstand.]

With denotes or expresses some situation or relation of nearness, proximity, association, connection, or the like.

To denote a close or direct relation of opposition or hostility; -- equivalent to against.

Thy servant will... fight with this Philistine. — 1 Sam. xvii. 32

In this sense, common in Old English, it is now obsolete except in a few compounds; as, withhold; withstand; and after the verbs fight, contend, struggle, and the like.

To denote association in respect of situation or environment; hence, among; in the company of.

I will buy with you, talk with you, walk with you, and so following; but I will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you. — Shakespeare

Pity your own, or pity our estate, Nor twist our fortunes with your sinking fate. — Dryden

See where on earth the flowery glories lie; With her they flourished, and with her they die. — Pope

There is no living with thee nor without thee. — Tatler

Such arguments had invincible force with those pagan philosophers. — Addison

To denote a connection of friendship, support, alliance, assistance, countenance, etc.; hence, on the side of.

Fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee. — Gen. xxvi. 24

To denote the accomplishment of cause, means, instrument, etc; -- sometimes equivalent to by.

That with these fowls I be all to-rent. — Chaucer

Thou wilt be like a lover presently, And tire the hearer with a book of words. — Shakespeare

[He] entertained a coffeehouse with the following narrative. — Addison

With receiving your friends within and amusing them without, you lead a good, pleasant, bustling life of it. — Goldsmith

To denote association in thought, as for comparison or contrast.

Can blazing carbuncles with her compare. — Sandys

To denote simultaneous happening, or immediate succession or consequence.

With that she told me... that she would hide no truth from me. — Sir P. Sidney

With her they flourished, and with her they die. — Pope

With this he pointed to his face. — Dryden

To denote having as a possession or an appendage; as, the firmament with its stars; a bride with a large fortune.

A maid with clean hands. — Shakespeare

With and by are closely allied in many of their uses, and it is not easy to lay down a rule by which to distinguish their uses. See the Note under By.