Sign In Get Started
Prepositions after verbs

Reside in, at, on, with or outside?

Reside is most often used with in before a city, country, or building. Other prepositions depend on the type of location or relationship.

Quick answer

Standard usage

Use reside in for most places. Reside at is possible with a specific address. Reside on is used for islands, campuses, or surfaces. Reside with can mean living together with someone. Reside outside usually means living beyond a particular area.

They reside in Madrid.
She resides at 14 King Street.
Many students reside on campus.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
reside in + place

Living in a city, country, or building

In is the most common preposition after reside.

He resides in Singapore.
The family resides in a rented apartment.
2
reside at + address

Giving a precise address

At is used with specific addresses or institutions.

She resides at 22 Hill Road.
3
reside with + person

Living together with someone

With introduces the people someone lives alongside.

After college, he resided with his aunt.
4
reside outside + area

Living beyond a defined area

Outside identifies a location beyond a city, region, or boundary.

Many employees reside outside the capital.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
reside in
She resides in Brazil.
live within a place
reside at
He resides at a private residence nearby.
live at a specific address or institution
reside on
They reside on the island.
live on an island, campus, or similar surface area
reside with
The child resides with her grandparents.
live together with someone
reside outside
Most staff reside outside the city.
live beyond a specified area

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using at with large areas

Use in for cities and countries.

✕ She resides at France. ✓ She resides in France.

Using on with ordinary buildings

On is mainly for islands, campuses, or surfaces.

✕ He resides on an apartment. ✓ He resides in an apartment.

Forgetting the object after outside

Outside should be followed by an area or boundary.

✕ They reside outside. ✓ They reside outside the district.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The ambassador resides ___ Rome.
2. She currently resides ___ her sister.
3. Many workers reside ___ the metropolitan area.

Check your sentence in context

Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.

Free to try · No signup required

Frequently asked questions

Is reside more formal than live?

Yes. Reside is common in official, legal, and formal contexts.

Can I say reside at an address?

Yes. At is natural with a specific address or institution.

When do we use reside on?

Use on with islands, campuses, ships, and similar locations.

radiate-from-into-around-to, with "raise in" or "raise by"? rake in, through, across, at or over? rally in, around, to, behind or on? "rape by" or "rape in"? ratify by, in, on, according or as? ravage by, from, on, through or with? rave about, at, from, to or before? reach for, by, at, to or into? react to, with, in, by or like? read about, in, on, through or for? "realize in", "realize at" or "realize by"?

Write with confidence in Linguix

Create a free account to check complete texts, apply suggestions, and save your documents.

Create a free account