middle

[ mid-l ]

See synonyms for: middle middling on Thesaurus.com

adjective

equally distant from the extremes or outer limits; central: the middle point of a line; the middle singer in a trio.
intermediate or intervening: the middle distance.

medium or average: a man of middle size.
(initial capital letter) (in the history of a language) intermediate between periods classified as Old and New or Modern: Middle English.
Grammar. (in some languages) noting a voice of verb inflection in which the subject is represented as acting on or for itself, in contrast to the active voice in which the subject acts, and the passive voice in which the subject is acted upon, as in Greek, egrapsámēn “I wrote for myself,” égrapsa “I wrote,” egráphēn “I was written.”
(often initial capital letter)Stratigraphy. noting the division intermediate between the upper and lower divisions of a period, system, or the like: the Middle Devonian.

noun

the point, part, position, etc., equidistant from extremes or limits.
the central part of the human body, especially the waist: He gave him a punch in the middle.

something intermediate; mean.
(in farming) the ground between two rows of plants.

verb (used with or without object),mid·dled, mid·dling.

Chiefly Nautical. to fold in half.

Origin of middle

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English middel; cognate with German mittel; akin to Old Norse methal among. See mid¹

synonym study For middle

7. Middle, center, midst indicate something from which two or more other things are (approximately or exactly) equally distant. Middle denotes, literally or figuratively, the point or part equidistant from or intermediate between extremes or limits in space or in time: the middle of a road. Center, a more precise word, is ordinarily applied to a point within circular, globular, or regular bodies, or wherever a similar exactness appears to exist: the center of the earth; it may also be used metaphorically (still suggesting the core of a sphere): center of interest. Midst usually suggests that a person or thing is closely surrounded or encompassed on all sides, especially by that which is thick or dense: the midst of a storm.

Other words for middle

1	equidistant, halfway, medial, midway
7	midpoint

See synonyms for middle on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for middle

1	extreme
7	extremity

See antonyms for middle on Thesaurus.com

Words Nearby middle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use middle in a sentence

Tropical storms Teddy and Vicky are still out in the middle of the Atlantic.
A nearly unprecedented cluster of tropical storms are brewing in the Atlantic | Sara Chodosh | September 15, 2020 | Popular-Science
We’re are in the middle of a global pandemic, but we’re also in the midst of a racial pandemic where racism is being normalized.
Oceanside Is Rethinking Its Police Chief Hiring Process Following Community Concerns | Kayla Jimenez | September 14, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
So, I think we’re getting to the place where we’re in the middle of this storm, which will allow us to see much clearer who we are, who we want to be, and who we are destined to be.
Debbie Allen’s Grandmother Love Doubled | Joi-Marie McKenzie | September 11, 2020 | Essence.com
The study found that a tool made by Lunit AI and used in certain hospitals in South Korea finished in the middle of the pack of radiologists it was tested against.
New standards for AI clinical trials will help spot snake oil and hype | Will Heaven | September 11, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
Right in the middle of the paragraph, Hightower breaks away from the subject of affidavits for two sentences.
The Learning Curve: San Diego Unified Is Terrified of Kids Opting Out | Will Huntsberry | September 10, 2020 | Voice of San Diego

According to Pew, 14 of the 20 countries in the middle East and North Africa have blasphemy laws.
In Defense of Blasphemy | Michael Tomasky | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
In the middle of all of that past suffering and present-day conflict, this Cosby bomb was dropped.
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers | Stereo Williams | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
And, especially when it comes to the middle, personality counts.
Why This Liberal Hearts Huckabee | Sally Kohn | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
The same picture emerges from middle class men in the U.S., Canada, and the Nordic countries.
How Good Dads Can Change the World | Gary Barker, PhD, Michael Kaufman | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
As a white, educated, Western, middle-class male, I possess most of the unearned privilege the world has to offer.
In 2015, Let’s Try for More Compassion | Gene Robinson | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
She looked so sweet when she said it, standing and smiling there in the middle of the floor, the door-way making a frame for her.
Music-Study in Germany | Amy Fay
Suddenly, however, he became aware of a small black spot far ahead in the very middle of the unencumbered track.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol | William J. Locke
The Seven-score and four on the six middle Bells, the treble leading, and the tenor lying behind every change, makes good Musick.
Tintinnalogia, or, the Art of Ringing | Richard Duckworth and Fabian Stedman
When we speak against one capital vice, we ought to speak against its opposite; the middle betwixt both is the point for virtue.
Pearls of Thought | Maturin M. Ballou
Dinner occurred in the middle of the day, and about nine in the evening was an informal but copious supper.
Hilda Lessways | Arnold Bennett

British Dictionary definitions for middle

middle

/ (ˈmɪdəl) /

adjective

equally distant from the ends or periphery of something; central
intermediate in status, situation, etc

located between the early and late parts of a series, time sequence, etc
not extreme, esp in size; medium
(esp in Greek and Sanskrit grammar) denoting a voice of verbs expressing reciprocal or reflexive action: Compare active (def. 5), passive (def. 5)
(usually capital) (of a language) intermediate between the earliest and the modern forms: Middle English

noun

an area or point equal in distance from the ends or periphery or in time between the early and late parts
an intermediate part or section, such as the waist

grammar the middle voice
logic See middle term
the ground between rows of growing plants
a discursive article in a journal, placed between the leading articles and the book reviews
cricket a position on the batting creases in alignment with the middle stumps on which a batsman may take guard

verb(tr)

to place in the middle
nautical to fold in two

football to return (the ball) from the wing to midfield
cricket to hit (the ball) with the middle of the bat

Origin of middle

Old English middel; compare Old Frisian middel, Dutch middel, German mittel

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with middle

middle

see caught in the middle; in the middle of; play both ends against the middle.

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