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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

The church bell rang midway through the tune.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

Pogacar lost his closest rival in this year’s Tour, Jonas Vinegegaard, to a busted collarbone midway through the race, and now the same injury has sent him home, too.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Bonta said it was telling that Meta decided to settle midway through testimony from Adam Mosseri, who oversees Instagram at Meta -- and before CEO Mark Zuckerberg was scheduled to take the stand.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

The Spanish meat processing firm Fribin, in Binéfar, in the north eastern province of Aragon, was midway through its morning shift when the sudden shutdown brought production lines to a halt.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

She played soccer her first fall there, but midway through the season she injured her knee.

From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John

Kroenke, the owner of the Rams, was announced as the major investor in Midway Rising in 2023.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

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

Millet’s big coup was the great Midway ball, held on the night of Wednesday, August 16.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

• halfway