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• midway
  midway

  adverb

  in the middle of the way or distance; halfway.
• Midway
  Midway

  noun

  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).

midway

¹ American  

[mid-wey, mid-wey] / ˈmɪdˈweɪ, ˈmɪdˌweɪ /

adverb

1. in the middle of the way or distance; halfway.

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noun

1. a place or part situated midway.

2. (often initial capital letter) the place or way, as at a fair or carnival, on or along which sideshows and similar amusements are located.

3. the amusements, concessions, etc., located on or around this place or way.

Midway ² American  

[mid-wey] / ˈmɪdˌweɪ /

noun

1. 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).

2. an airport in Chicago.

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midway British  

/ ˈmɪdˌweɪ /

adjective

1. in or at the middle of the distance; halfway

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noun

1. a place in a fair, carnival, etc, where sideshows are located

2. obsolete a middle place, way, etc

Etymology

Origin of midway

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

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

midway Midway

Steiner returned for opening day in 2025, but he wore down and left midway through the game.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Jack Draper broke down in tears midway through his return to the court after long-term injury difficulties as he suffered a first-round exit at the Canadian Open.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Aperol offered a recognisable glass, an easy-to-reproduce recipe, and a market position midway between beer or wine and more elaborate cocktails.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

In Phoenixville, Pa., a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Soko Bag, a Korean fried-chicken and sports bar, was midway through showing the England-Norway match when a rainstorm hit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

He looked up at me, his hoagie sandwich midway to his mouth.

From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling

Midway through an eight-day vacation to Venice and the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy in May, I received a text from the wife of my 72-year-old sister, Robin, telling me to call.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

The flight from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport to Midway International Airport "reportedly made contact with a firework while on descent," a spokesperson for the airline told the BBC.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

Meanwhile, World War II encompasses 69 pages, but to be fair, it covers pretty much everything from the Battle of Midway to lesser-known theaters in Tunisia and the Marshall Islands.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

Midway through pursuing her master’s in 2011 she discovered a friend was a master archer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

He takes a circuitous route around the Hub, away from the mass of Exclusion Guards and internees who are still pouring out of the Mess and toward the Midway.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

Related Words

• halfway