midriff
Americannoun
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the middle part of the body, between the chest and the waist.
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the part of a dress or bodice, usually close-fitting, that covers this part of the body.
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a garment that exposes this part of the body.
adjective
noun
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the middle part of the human body, esp between waist and bust
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( as modifier )
midriff bulge
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anatomy another name for the diaphragm
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the part of a woman's garment covering the midriff
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a woman's garment which exposes the midriff
Etymology
Origin of midriff
before 1000; Middle English mydryf, Old English midhrif, equivalent to mid ( d ) mid 1 + hrif belly
Explanation
Your midriff is your belly. Wearing a shirt that shows off your midriff might be banned at your school. The center of your body's front side, generally the area under your ribcage and above your waist or hips, can be called the midriff. This noun is sometimes used as a substitute for belly or waist, especially when someone is wearing clothes that deliberately expose this area. Your bikini reveals your midriff, but your winter coat covers your midriff. In Old English, the word was midhrif, from hrif, "belly."
Vocabulary lists containing midriff
Gross, Anatomy!
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The Poet X
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"Lob's Girl" by Joan Aiken
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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.
Bare midriff or not, Schiffer suggests bringing a layer if you’re sticking around for the night session: “You show up and it’s like boiling, and then by that night you’re freezing.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
It could apparently change the shape of my face, add pounds to my midriff, and even make my hair fall out.
From BBC • Jun. 21, 2025
Since the pregnancy announcement, Bieber has publicly embraced her bump, baring her midriff in Instagram posts and at Rhode events.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 23, 2024
Each picture is composed just so, to accentuate her best features: the long, swanlike neck; the well-toned midriff; the high, strong shoulders; the ramrod posture; and—this feels new—the gaunt cheeks and picture-perfect jawline.
From Slate • Jan. 31, 2024
Uriah himself was tumbling from his horse, like rather an inexperienced diver, under the influence of a stroke which one of the opposing knights had delivered in the region of his midriff.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
