midst

¹

[midst]

noun

1. the position of anything surrounded by other things or parts, or occurring in the middle of a period of time, course of action, etc..

   a familiar face in the midst of the crowd;

   in the midst of the performance.

   Synonyms: heart, core, thick
   Antonyms: periphery, edge

2. the middle point, part, or stage.

   We arrived in the midst of a storm.

   Synonyms: heart, core, thick
   Antonyms: periphery, edge

midst

²

[midst]

preposition

1. amidst.

midst

¹

/ mɪdst /

noun

1. surrounded or enveloped by; at a point during, esp a climactic one

2. among us

3. archaic,  the centre

midst

²

/ mɪdst /

preposition

1. poetic,  See amid

Word History and Origins

Origin of midst¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, equivalent to middes (aphetic variant of amiddes “in the middle”) + excrescent -t; amidst

Word History and Origins

Origin of midst¹

C14: back formation from amiddes _amid

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in our / your / their midst, in the midst of or among us (you, them).

   To think there was a spy in our midst!

Synonym Study

See middle.

Example Sentences

The demonstrations come in the midst of a government shutdown, Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and clashes over the deployment of federal troops in U.S. cities.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The puppet world is in the midst of a crisis, torn over whether humans should be allowed to wander the fictional street of Appleseed Avenue.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The company is in the midst of a strategic reset and review of its portfolio as it seeks to shore up its balance sheet amid declining profitability and pressure from an activist investor.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

And Penn State is in the midst of a $700 million renovation of Beaver Stadium.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He ripped off one big run, then another, sprinting his way into Trojan infamy in the midst of a statement victory.

Read more on Los Angeles Times