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• middle distance
  middle distance

  noun

  the represented space between the foreground and background in paintings, drawings, etc.
• middle-distance
  middle-distance

  adjective

  athletics relating to or denoting races of a length between the sprints and the distance events, esp the 800 metres and the 1500 metres

middle distance

American  

noun

1. Also called middle plane.  Also called middle ground.  Fine Arts. the represented space between the foreground and background in paintings, drawings, etc.

2. (in track) a race distance ranging from 400 meters or 440 yards to 1 mile.

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middle-distance British  

adjective

1. athletics relating to or denoting races of a length between the sprints and the distance events, esp the 800 metres and the 1500 metres

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noun

1. Also called: middle ground.  part of a painting, esp a landscape between the foreground and far distance

Etymology

Origin of middle distance

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

middle distance middle-distance

To the left and right, a dense forest frames the scene, while farther off, in the middle distance, a few lonely plantations and houses can barely be made out.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

Now, aged 24, she is one of India's top middle distance para athletes.

From BBC ● Feb. 15, 2025

So is seemingly everyone else — except Edward, left to stare into the middle distance and wonder what the hell is going on.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2025

“To see this entire world, do this literally: Mold the play into a medium-sized ball, set it before you in the middle distance, and squint your eyes,” she wrote.

From New York Times ● Jun. 18, 2024

Their faces were perfectly composed—but their eyes kept drifting to the children in the cart and then snapping off into the middle distance again as they recovered their discipline.

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz

Last week, American middle-distance runner Nikki Hiltz described it as "weird", adding: "It's definitely not usual, but we're all in the same boat."

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2025

This generation of milers is also supremely talented, of course, forming a new golden age of middle-distance running.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2025

In fact, several forces that were at work when Nuguse and Ingebrigtsen raced have been electrifying all of middle-distance running.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2025

A middle-distance runner, Rahul had previously competed in the 1500m himself.

From BBC ● Feb. 15, 2025

There are foreground, middle-distance, and sky—and in a properly coloured room, the floors, walls, and ceiling bear the same relation to each other as the grades of colour in a picture, or in a landscape.

From Principles of Home Decoration With Practical Examples by Wheeler, Candace