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Prepositions after verbs

Sin against, by, in, outside or as?

Sin most commonly takes against. Other prepositions usually express manner, situation, or role rather than being fixed combinations.

Quick answer

Which prepositions are used with sin?

Use sin against someone or something to mean doing wrong to them. Sin by introduces the action used to commit the sin. Sin in can introduce the area or activity involved. Outside and as are not standard fixed combinations after sin, though they may appear as separate parts of a sentence.

They believed he had sinned against his family.
She sinned by lying to her friends.
He sinned in his treatment of others.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
sin against + person/principle

Doing wrong to someone or something

Against is the most common direct partner after sin.

They feared they had sinned against God.
He sinned against his own values.
2
sin by + action

Showing how the wrongdoing happened

By introduces the action that caused the wrongdoing.

She sinned by deceiving the public.
They sinned by ignoring the warning.
3
sin in + area/activity

Showing the area of wrongdoing

In can introduce the field or behaviour where the wrongdoing occurred.

He sinned in his business dealings.
The group sinned in its treatment of workers.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
sin against
He sinned against his neighbour.
commit a wrong toward someone
sin by
She sinned by spreading lies.
show the action that caused the wrongdoing
sin in
They sinned in their handling of the funds.
show the area or activity involved
sin outside
They lived outside the city and still sinned.
outside is usually a place adverb, not a fixed partner of sin
sin as
He worked as a teacher and later sinned against his principles.
as usually introduces a role, not a fixed combination with sin

Common mistakes

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

Treating outside as a fixed preposition after sin

Outside usually belongs to a separate place phrase.

✕ They sinned outside the rules. ✓ They sinned against the rules.

Using as to mean against

As normally describes a role or identity.

✕ He sinned as his friends. ✓ He sinned against his friends.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. They believed they had sinned ___ their community.
2. She sinned ___ hiding the evidence.
3. The company sinned ___ its treatment of workers.

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Frequently asked questions

Is sin against the most common construction?

Yes. It is the standard way to show who or what was wronged.

Can sin in be used in modern English?

Yes, especially in formal or religious contexts discussing an area of behaviour.

Are sin outside and sin as standard combinations?

No. Outside and as usually belong to separate parts of the sentence rather than fixed patterns with sin.

sack, by, sack, for, sack, from "sacrifice for" or "sacrifice to"? sail from, in, for, to or through? "salvage from" or "salvage in"? sanction by, for, in, with or according? satisfy with, by, in, about or after? "saturate with" or "saturate in"? save by, for, from, on or in? "say in", "say about" or "say to"? "scan for", "scan in" or "scan through"? "scar by" or "scar on"? scatter in, across, around, throughout or on?

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