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
Rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are expected for the lower and middle Florida Keys. Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024 Tropical storm conditions are expected in the lower and middle Florida Keys by Wednesday night as the storm passes by. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
From the end of the Civil War to the middle of the 20th century, the Democratic Party was the party of white southerners. Allison Mashell Mitchell / Made By History, TIME, 5 Nov. 2024 The yellow group is usually the easiest to figure out, blue and green fall in the middle, and the purple group is usually the most difficult one. Kris Holt, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024 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 26 Nov. 2024.

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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