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
Lynne Peeples, TIME, 6 Jan. 2025
Discovered at the Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire, southern England, the prints are believed to be from the middle Jurassic era, researchers from the Universities of Oxford and Birmingham said in a statement.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2025
Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2025
Dillingham sprinted and pointed them back to the middle of the field, where both teams congregated, and then approached three players sitting on the bench and did the same.
—Doug Haller, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for middle 
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Adjective
During the night-owl years of middle and high school, early wakeups inevitably mean insufficient and irregular sleep.
—Lynne Peeples, TIME, 6 Jan. 2025
Discovered at the Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire, southern England, the prints are believed to be from the middle Jurassic era, researchers from the Universities of Oxford and Birmingham said in a statement.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2025
Noun
Look at Shorr’s photo of a trio of bridesmaids pressed together on the car’s back bench, having a drink in the middle of the afternoon, relaxing on their way to the reception.
—Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2025
Dillingham sprinted and pointed them back to the middle of the field, where both teams congregated, and then approached three players sitting on the bench and did the same.
—Doug Haller, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for middle
Dictionary Entries Near middle
Cite this Entry
“Middle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/middle. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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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