in the middle of
Idioms-
Also, in the midst of . During, while engaged in, as in He stopped him in the middle of his speech , or I'm in the midst of calculating my income tax . The first expression dates from about 1600, the second from about 1500. Also see in the midst .
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in the middle of nowhere . In a very remote location, as in We found a great little hotel, out in the middle of nowhere . [Early 1900s]
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.
Both times saw military tensions escalate in the middle of negotiations.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
The sun hangs in the middle of the sky as I drive toward one of the most rapidly changing shorelines in California.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
“The sounds we’re in the middle of, the smells, the atmosphere, the feeling of the air on your skin.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026
At the end of this past February, he launched a surprise attack in the middle of negotiations, which were going pretty well.
From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026
They were tramps, waiting for the freight that went through north in the middle of the night.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
