in medias res

American  

[in me-di-ahs res, in mee-dee-uhs reez, in mey-dee-ahs reys] / ɪn ˈmɛ dɪˌɑs ˈrɛs, ɪn ˈmi diˌəs ˈriz, ɪn ˈmeɪ diˌɑs ˈreɪs /

adverb

Latin.

1. in the middle of things.

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in medias res British  

/ ɪn ˈmiːdɪˌæs ˈreɪs /

1. in or into the middle of events or a narrative

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in medias res Cultural  

1. In the middle of the action. Epics often begin in medias res. For example, the Odyssey, which tells the story of the wanderings of the hero Odysseus, begins almost at the end of his wanderings, just before his arrival home. In medias res is a Latin phrase used by the poet Horace; it means “in the middle of things.”

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Etymology

Origin of in medias res

literally: into the midst of things, taken from a passage in Horace's Ars Poetica

Example Sentences

We open in medias res when the 23-year-old Col.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2026

We begin in medias res as the unnamed author frets about his choice to begin at chapter 13 rather than the more traditional chapter 1.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Nevertheless, if you’re exhausted with voiceover exposition, you’re probably also over in medias res openers, i.e. starting with a scene from the middle of the story before flashing back to the beginning.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2025

Carolina Ebeid’s spring-ish poem is filled with mysteries, starting with the title and first line that launch us in medias res, making us feel as if we’re eavesdropping.

From New York Times • Feb. 24, 2022

Mr. Steele had come upon him unexpectedly, finding him as it were in medias res, with all his skillfully arranged scenery to aid the illusion.

From Bransford of Rainbow Range Originally Published under the title of Bransford in Arcadia, or, The Little Eohippus by Rhodes, Eugene Manlove