caught in the middle

Idioms  

1. Also, caught in the cross-fire. Between two opposing sides, as in The writers are often caught in the middle between editor and publisher, who are political opponents, or When parents don't get along, the children are often caught in the cross-fire. Long used in military situations, these terms began to be used figuratively in the second half of the 1800s.

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

caught in the middle

Patients are caught in the middle when they should only be worrying about getting better.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

But for all their anger at being caught in the middle of a war they didn't want and tried hard to avoid, Vaez doubts any are ready to sever their ties with the US military.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

As an artificial-intelligence researcher with a specialty in videogames, Togelius is caught in the middle of what he calls “an ongoing culture war” between his passions.

From MarketWatch ● May 23, 2026

Companies like Howard Miller — a domestic manufacturer that imports certain goods and products — were caught in the middle.

From Salon ● Dec. 2, 2025

And some of them got caught in the middle of wrong lives.

From "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky