middle finger

American  

[mid-l fing-ger] / ˈmɪd l ˈfɪŋ gər /

noun

1. the finger between the forefinger and the third finger.

2. Slang. an obscene gesture of contempt made by pointing this finger upward while folding the other fingers against the palm; the finger.

   The driver honked his horn and got the middle finger from the biker.

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Usage

What else does middle finger mean? Giving someone the middle finger is an offensive gesture in which a person flips up their middle finger in a fist to show contempt or defiance.

Etymology

Origin of middle finger

First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English

Example Sentences

As my bare right hand moved to protect the ball when it entered my glove, it suddenly bounced up sharply and hit the tip of my right hand’s middle finger.

From The Wall Street Journal

‘You see the three bars above the middle finger? Those are lines of power, warding off evil’ She leaned closer.

From Literature

Moss received a bite to his middle finger that became "severely infected and badly swollen, rendering him unable to play guitar".

From BBC

Several shared memes of Mr. Bean giving the middle finger, likening Iranian retaliatory attacks on the Gulf to the bumbling comedic character.

From The Wall Street Journal

Here, she discusses her self-talk in the mirror, the significance of her Mason jar and the giant middle finger on her closet floor.

From The Wall Street Journal