This collection presents 10 Prepositions that start with H, spanning from “half” to “hot on the heels of”. Many are single-word prepositions used to express time, place, direction, or relationship, while a few are common multi-word phrases.

Prepositions that start with H are words and phrases that link nouns or pronouns to other words. Historically, short prepositions like “half” come from Old English, while idioms like “hot on the heels of” show vivid imagery.

Below you’ll find the table with Preposition, Definition, Common pairings, Example sentence, and Notes.

Preposition: The head word or phrase itself; you use it to quickly locate the entry and check spelling.

Definition: A short, clear meaning of the preposition so you understand its core use in sentences.

Common pairings: Typical words or structures that follow the preposition, helping you form natural phrases and collocations.

Example sentence: One concise sentence showing everyday usage so you can see the preposition in context.

Notes: Usage flags, regional labels, or rarity notes that help you judge formality and suitability.

Prepositions that start with H

PrepositionTypeMeaningCommon pairings
halfsingle-wordpartly; to the extent of one-halfhalf the time; half a mile; half price; half of them
halfwaysingle-wordto a midpoint; partially or not completelyhalfway between; halfway through; halfway to; halfway house
halfway betweenmulti-wordin the middle of two points or extremeshalfway between A and B; halfway between work and home; halfway between cities
hard bymulti-wordimmediately adjacent; very nearhard by the river; hard by the house; hard by the gate
hard uponmulti-wordimmediately before or close in time or placehard upon arrival; hard upon the heels; hard upon publication
hard up againstmulti-wordpressed closely against; confronting a boundary or problemhard up against the wall; hard up against a deadline; hard up against limits
hand in hand withmulti-wordtogether with; closely associated withgo hand in hand with; work hand in hand with; come hand in hand with
having regard tomulti-wordconsidering; taking into accounthaving regard to the evidence; having regard to the circumstances; having regard to the Act
hot on the heels ofmulti-wordimmediately following or closely pursuinghot on the heels of success; hot on the heels of reports; hot on the heels of arrival
head over heels inmulti-wordcompletely; deeply (usually about love)head over heels in love; head over heels for; fall head over heels

Descriptions

half
Neutral; used as determiner, adverb or preposition to mean partly. “She was half convinced by the evidence.”
halfway
Neutral; often adverb/adjective and used in prepositional phrases meaning mid-point. “The village lies halfway between the two towns.”
halfway between
Neutral; common locative phrase indicating an intermediate position. “The cafe is halfway between the station and the park.”
hard by
Formal/archaic or dialectal; literary phrase meaning near. “A small chapel stood hard by the manor.”
hard upon
Formal/archaic; used in older or formal writing to mean close after or near. “Their victory came hard upon the news of the treaty.”
hard up against
Informal; idiomatic phrase meaning very close to or constrained by. “The car was hard up against the fence.”
hand in hand with
Neutral idiom; common in speech and writing to express tight association. “Economic growth often goes hand in hand with rising emissions.”
having regard to
Formal/legal; standard phrase in official and legal contexts meaning ‘considering’. “Having regard to the evidence, the committee changed its view.”
hot on the heels of
Informal/idiomatic; vivid phrase for something that closely follows. “The announcement came hot on the heels of last week’s scandal.”
head over heels in
Informal idiom; used to indicate intense feeling, most often romantic. “She fell head over heels in love.”
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