middle

1 of 2

adjective

mid·​dle ˈmi-dᵊl How to pronounce middle (audio)
1
: equally distant from the extremes : medial, central
the middle house in the row
2
: being at neither extreme : intermediate
3
capitalized
a
: constituting a division intermediate between those prior and later or upper and lower
Middle Paleozoic
b
: constituting a period of a language or literature intermediate between one called Old and one called New or Modern
Middle Dutch
4
of a verb form or voice : typically asserting that a person or thing both performs and is affected by the action represented

middle

2 of 2

noun

1
: a middle part, point, or position
2
: the central portion of the human body : waist
3
: the position of being among or in the midst of something
in the middle of the crowd
4
: something intermediate between extremes : mean
5
: the center of an offensive or defensive formation
especially : the area between the second baseman and the shortstop
Phrases
middle of nowhere
: an extremely remote and isolated place
ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere

Examples of middle in a Sentence

Adjective during the century's middle decades High temperatures today should be in the middle 80s. Franklin D. Roosevelt's middle initial stood for “Delano.” Noun A good essay will have a clear beginning, middle, and end. He stood exactly in the middle of the room. She opened the book to the middle and began to read. The car stopped in the middle of the road. The house should be finished by the middle of next summer. The beginning and ending of the movie were good, but the middle was pretty boring. She put her arms around his middle. He tied the sash around his middle.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
The former is a crime thriller about a former baseball player (Austin Butler) who gets caught up in New York City’s underworld in the 1990s, while the latter is a romantic fantasy that follows two middle aged people who step through a magical portal into their past lives. Brent Lang, Variety, 1 Apr. 2025 While on the road - Opt for the middle lanes and remain on higher ground. Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 31 Mar. 2025
Noun
The shoe dropping, the call in the middle of the night, the attempt to take her emotional temperature on every phone call. Joan Didion, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025 Myers said feedback from unions and regulators prompted Norfolk Southern to extend training from a nonconsecutive, four-week program with a monthlong break in the middle to a continuous five-week one. Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for middle

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English middel, from Old English; akin to Old English midde

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of middle was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Middle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/middle. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

middle

1 of 2 adjective
mid·​dle ˈmid-ᵊl How to pronounce middle (audio)
1
: equally distant from the ends or sides
2
: being at neither extreme : intermediate
of middle size
3
capitalized : constituting an intermediate division or period
Middle Paleozoic

middle

2 of 2 noun
1
: a middle part, point, or position : center
2
3
: the position of being among or in the midst of something
in the middle of the crowd

More from Merriam-Webster on middle

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