middle finger

[mid-l fing-ger]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of middle finger¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English

Example Sentences

He’d lifted a giant middle finger in the direction of the moral disapproval of his fellow Wall Street CEOs.

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In 15 states and two provinces, we had no close calls, no one pulling behind and honking angrily, no one passing dangerously close and yelling “Get off the road,” not a single middle finger.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“I spread the space I do have wider. Pinky finger and middle finger go their separate ways.”

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The women said passersby offered them a mixture of “some middle fingers” and supportive honks as they held signs that read, among other things, “Would your grandma approve?”

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He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath and touches the forefinger and middle finger of his right hand to his lips.

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When To Use

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.