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midstream

American  
[mid-streem] / ˈmɪdˈstrim /

noun

  1. the middle of a stream.

  2. the middle period of a process, course, or the like.


midstream British  
/ ˈmɪdˌstriːm /

noun

  1. the middle of a stream or river

  2. the middle of a process or action

    they tried to change the rules in midstream

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. in or towards the middle of a stream or river

    moored midstream

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
midstream Idioms  
  1. see change horses midstream.


Etymology

Origin of midstream

First recorded in 1275–1325, midstream is from the Middle English word myddstreme. See mid-, stream

Vocabulary lists containing midstream

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.

See Examples For:

As for where Oxbow is investing, he likes “the whole gamut” — oil and natural gas producers, midstream pipelines and some drillers that they’ve added in the past couple of months.

From MarketWatch May 20, 2026

European Command had recommended that the more than 4,000 soldiers of the armored brigade wouldn’t be backfilled after its regular nine-month rotation, according to DOD officials, but hadn’t urged that the deployment be halted midstream.

From The Wall Street Journal May 13, 2026

ISQ Global Fund II lowered its stake in the midstream energy services company to 19,098,785 shares.

From Barron's May 8, 2026

The Norwegian energy company reported an adjusted operating income in its marketing, midstream and processing division of $787 million.

From The Wall Street Journal May 6, 2026

He paddles them to an island in midstream.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

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