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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).
Synonyms

midway

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

adverb

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


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.


midway British  
/ ˈmɪdˌweɪ /

adjective

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

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

  2. obsolete a middle place, way, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing midway

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

“San Marcos Theme” arrives midway as an aural palate cleanser before Price raises the energy another notch in the back half, the sequence that begins with the Charlie Daniels cover and ends with “Maggie’s Farm.”

From Salon Jul. 14, 2026

China enters a busy week for economic data as investors assess the economy’s health midway through the year.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 10, 2026

This is the highest number of human disease cases reported midway through the year since 2004, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 8, 2026

However, when neurons are subjected to mechanical stress while squeezing through tight spaces, the enzyme can become trapped midway through the process, leaving sections of DNA broken.

From Science Daily Jun. 21, 2026

She picked an empty seat midway back and hoped that no one would take the spot next to her.

From "George" by Alex Gino

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

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

Meanwhile, hundreds of Chicagoans watched from a distance on the Midway Plaisance, the mile-long park stretching past the University of Chicago, where Obama once taught law.

From Barron's Jun. 18, 2026

Midway through a conversation about claims Lord Mandelson could be rejected by Trump due to his ties to the EU, the peer said: "I am getting very worried about Chagos".

From BBC Jun. 2, 2026

Midway through the song, Seven and Layla come back out.

From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas

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