Here you’ll find 14 Prepositions that start with C, organized from “care of” to “cum”. They range from single-word items to common multi-word phrases used in everyday writing and speech. This list is useful for English learners, writers, editors, and content creators.

Prepositions that start with C are words and short phrases that link nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other sentence parts. Notably, “care of” appears in addresses as “c/o”, and “cum” reflects Latin influence in English compounds.

Below you’ll find the table with [COLUMN_NAMES].

Preposition: The word or phrase itself, listed alphabetically so you can find each entry quickly.

Definition: A concise meaning in everyday language to help you choose correct usage and understand nuance.

Common pairings: Three to five frequent collocations or complements showing typical grammatical companions, so you can use them naturally.

Example sentence: A clear sample sentence shows real usage so you can copy structure and context.

Prepositions that start with C

PrepositionFormMeaningCommon pairings
circasingle-wordapproximately, aboutdates, years, estimates, events
concerningsingle-wordabout, regardingthe matter, the report, your question, policy
consideringsingle-wordtaking into accountthe weather, the cost, the circumstances, that
countingsingle-wordincludingme, them, the list, everyone
contrasingle-wordagainstargument, opinion, precedent, proposal
cumsingle-wordwith; combined withactor-cum-director, author-cum-editor, role, title
chezsingle-wordat the home/place ofthe chef, the author, friends, family
compared tomulti-word phraselikening one thing to anotherlast year, previous figures, other countries, earlier studies
compared withmulti-word phraseexamining similarities or differencesother studies, control group, earlier results, previous years
contrary tomulti-word phrasein opposition topopular belief, expectations, reports, evidence
close tomulti-word phrasenear; almostthe station, success, completion, tears
close bymulti-word phrasenearbythe shop, the house, the station, neighbors
care ofmulti-word phrasevia; in the custody ofJohn Smith, the hospital, the agent, address
consonant withmulti-word phrasein agreement withpolicy, evidence, practice, findings

Descriptions

circa
Formal/historical preposition for approximate dates or amounts; common in academic and museum labels. Example: “The statue dates to circa 1500.”
concerning
Neutral to formal; widely used to introduce a topic or issue. Example: “She asked a question concerning the schedule.”
considering
Used as a preposition meaning ‘in view of’; common in speech and writing. Example: “Considering the weather, we stayed home.”
counting
Used when enumerating to mean ‘including’; common in informal and neutral registers. Example: “Five people, counting the baby, were there.”
contra
Latin-origin preposition meaning ‘against’; used in formal, legal, or academic contexts. Rare in everyday speech. Example: “She wrote contra the committee’s view.”
cum
Latin loan used stylistically to indicate combined roles or functions; formal or literary. Rare in casual speech. Example: “He is a writer cum publisher.”
chez
French loanword meaning ‘at the home of’; stylish or literary, common in writing. Example: “We dined chez Pierre.”
compared to
Common phrase for drawing a likeness or simple comparison; widely used. Example: “Compared to last year, sales rose.”
compared with
Used for side-by-side comparison; both forms are common with subtle nuance differences. Example: “Compared with other studies, ours differs.”
contrary to
Very common phrase introducing contrast; neutral to formal register. Example: “Contrary to belief, she agreed.”
close to
Very common for physical proximity or degree (‘almost’); neutral register. Example: “He stood close to the door.”
close by
Informal and common phrase for physical proximity; used conversationally. Example: “Is there a cafe close by?”
care of
Common in mailing and delivery contexts; often abbreviated as “c/o” on envelopes. Example: “Send the package care of Ms. Lee.”
consonant with
Formal phrase meaning ‘consistent with’; frequent in academic and formal writing. Example: “Her findings are consonant with prior studies.”
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