middle finger
Americannoun
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the finger between the forefinger and the third finger.
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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.
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Scotland's Robert MacIntyre could face disciplinary action at the Masters after he directed a middle finger at the 15th green during a quadruple bogey.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
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 • Mar. 24, 2026
"The key to the wobble seam is to have your fingers and wrist right behind the ball and release the ball off your middle finger," Gillespie says.
From BBC • Jan. 1, 2026
He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath and touches the forefinger and middle finger of his right hand to his lips.
From Salon • Sep. 7, 2025
He played the guitar pretty well considering that the middle finger of his right hand wasn’t there.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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.
