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
Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024
Air Force and New Mexico fall into a middle tier, in our view.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for middle 
Adjective
Brick and mortar buildings, middle men in distribution.
—Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024
Air Force and New Mexico fall into a middle tier, in our view.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for middle
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 3 May. 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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