a place or part situated midway.
(often initial capital letter) the place or way, as at a fair or carnival, on or along which sideshows and similar amusements are located.
the amusements, concessions, etc., located on or around this place or way.
several U.S. islets in the N Pacific, about 1,300 miles (2,095 km) NW of Hawaii: Japanese defeated in a naval battle June, 1942; 2 sq. mi. (5 sq. km).
an airport in Chicago.
a place in a fair, carnival, etc, where sideshows are located
obsolete a middle place, way, etc
First recorded before 900; Middle English midwei, Old English midweg; see mid 1, way 1; midway defs. 3, 4 after the Midway Plaisance, the main thoroughfare of the World Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago in 1893
Anything midway between two points is halfway between them. A midway is also a place at a carnival where sideshow entertainment is located. Being midway is being at a midpoint or the center. If you're halfway between home and school, you're midway between those two places. At the end of sophomore year, you're midway through high school. Another type of midway is part of a fair or carnival. On the midway, you'll find sideshow amusements such as a bearded lady, a snake charmer, or someone swallowing a sword.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Lee, who played at UCLA, cooled a bit Saturday with two bogeys in her first four holes and was midway through her round at press time.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026
The team was first assembled midway through last year and it operates like a startup embedded within the company, giving priority to rapid development over bureaucratic procedure.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026
Former Cine & TV Artistes' Association official Amit Behl said filmmakers often cannot afford to halt shoots midway, especially when a large crew or elaborate action sequences are involved.
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
Joshua removed his sunglasses midway through before it ended with a friendly handshake.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
Now what Pechvarry and his wife and the witch saw was this: the young wizard had stopped midway in his spell, and held the child a while motionless.
From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
