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
Andrews’ brunette to blond ombre hair was styled straight and worn with a middle part courtesy of hairstylist Kylee Heath. Julia Teti, WWD, 9 Feb. 2025 Ballot was in a middle seat near the back on the January flight, prosecutors said. Sara Schilling, Sacramento Bee, 7 Feb. 2025
Noun
Lamar stood in the middle of a flag that was divided into two sides, each of which had their backs turned to each other at one point. Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025 So what’s a flower farm doing in the middle of inner city Chicago? Martha Shade, CNN, 11 Feb. 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

Dictionary Entries Near middle

Cite this Entry

“Middle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/middle. Accessed 21 Feb. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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