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
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
Synonyms
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
Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024
The Panthers added two goals in a 1:44 stretch of the middle period to double the lead.
—Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
Now, middle child Mason is the first to become an actor like his dad, having starred in notable films like Booksmart and Scream 5.
—Emy Lacroix, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
The Royals utilized him to start games, in middle relief and high-leverage scenarios.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024
The three middle schoolers were identified as 13-year-old students at Plum Point Middle School in Calvert County, about 50 miles southeast of Washington, D.C.
—USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024
As of Friday Hansen was leading in four lower income precincts, three middle income precincts and 16 higher income precincts.
—Theresa Clift, Sacramento Bee, 26 Mar. 2024
This article is a selection from the April/May 2024 issue of Smithsonian magazine
Goody was born in 1951, the middle child among three girls, and raised in suburban New Jersey.
—Rachel Dickinson, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
Place the pan on the middle oven rack and your cheese will melt just fine.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2024
Alex De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2024
By the middle of the 19th century, scientific discoveries came at a frenetic pace, and eclipses powered many of them.
—Rebecca Boyle, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024
Simply use the pushpin to punch a small hole close to the middle of one of the cards and you're done.
—The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2024
Since the middle of last year, when economic growth greatly exceeded forecasts, the share of banks tightening lending to small businesses has eased substantially.
—Talmon Joseph Smith, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
He was taken in the middle of the night from the public section of a prison without prior notice, despite the Revolutionary Court advising that he be referred to the Commission on Pardons and Commutations for his death sentence to be commuted to life imprisonment.
—Nilo Tabrizy, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Florida offers anglers countless saltwater fishing options year-round — from gorgeous coastal shorelines, beaches, bays, and reefs, to the middle of the deep blue Atlantic Ocean.
—Jp Shaffer, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
The middle of the week is expected to warm up as the snow clears out.
—Abigail Celaya, The Arizona Republic, 1 Apr. 2024
The housing development is expected to add another 206 elementary, 94 middle, and 116 high school students to the district, an OCPS information officer told Fortune.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Now, the only infield starter without an error is second baseman Gavin Lux — who, ironically, was the biggest defensive question mark in spring training, leading to a switch between him and Betts at the two middle infield positions.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024
The Panthers added two goals in a 1:44 stretch of the middle period to double the lead.
—Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
Now, middle child Mason is the first to become an actor like his dad, having starred in notable films like Booksmart and Scream 5.
—Emy Lacroix, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
The Royals utilized him to start games, in middle relief and high-leverage scenarios.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024
The three middle schoolers were identified as 13-year-old students at Plum Point Middle School in Calvert County, about 50 miles southeast of Washington, D.C.
—USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024
As of Friday Hansen was leading in four lower income precincts, three middle income precincts and 16 higher income precincts.
—Theresa Clift, Sacramento Bee, 26 Mar. 2024
This article is a selection from the April/May 2024 issue of Smithsonian magazine
Goody was born in 1951, the middle child among three girls, and raised in suburban New Jersey.
—Rachel Dickinson, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
Place the pan on the middle oven rack and your cheese will melt just fine.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2024
Noun
By the middle of the war, in July 2021, the international Famine Review Committee found that without a cease-fire and immediate large-scale aid, Tigray would descend into famine.
—Alex De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2024
By the middle of the 19th century, scientific discoveries came at a frenetic pace, and eclipses powered many of them.
—Rebecca Boyle, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024
Simply use the pushpin to punch a small hole close to the middle of one of the cards and you're done.
—The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2024
Since the middle of last year, when economic growth greatly exceeded forecasts, the share of banks tightening lending to small businesses has eased substantially.
—Talmon Joseph Smith, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
He was taken in the middle of the night from the public section of a prison without prior notice, despite the Revolutionary Court advising that he be referred to the Commission on Pardons and Commutations for his death sentence to be commuted to life imprisonment.
—Nilo Tabrizy, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Florida offers anglers countless saltwater fishing options year-round — from gorgeous coastal shorelines, beaches, bays, and reefs, to the middle of the deep blue Atlantic Ocean.
—Jp Shaffer, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
The middle of the week is expected to warm up as the snow clears out.
—Abigail Celaya, The Arizona Republic, 1 Apr. 2024
The housing development is expected to add another 206 elementary, 94 middle, and 116 high school students to the district, an OCPS information officer told Fortune.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'middle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near middle
Cite this Entry
“Middle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/middle. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
middle
1 of 2 adjective
mid·dle
ˈmid-ᵊl 
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 noun1
: 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
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