midterm

American  

[mid-turm] / ˈmɪdˌtɜrm /

noun

• midterms
  plural

1. the middle or halfway point of a term, as a school term or term of office.

2. Informal. Often midterms. an examination or series of examinations at the middle of a school term.

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adjective

1. pertaining to or occurring on or about the middle of a term, as a school term or term of office.

   a midterm recess; midterm elections.

midterm British  

/ ˈmɪdˈtɜːm /

noun

1. 1. the middle of a term in a school, university, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      midterm exam

2. politics

   1. the middle of a term of office, esp of a presidential term, when congressional and local elections are held

   2. ( as modifier )

      midterm elections

3. 1. the middle of the gestation period

   2. ( as modifier ) See term

      midterm checkup

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• midterms
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of midterm

First recorded in 1865–70; mid- + term

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Explanation

Midterm is the exact middle of a semester or of a politician's time in office. A midterm exam is given near the halfway point of the academic term. A school year is typically divided into semesters, trimesters, or quarters, and each of these can be called a term. Likewise, a president, governor, or representative serves a specific length of time that is called a term, whether it lasts one year, two years, or six years. The middle of a term, therefore, is a midterm, from mid-, from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "middle," and term, from the Old French terme, "duration."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

midterm midterms

The party of incumbent presidents regularly loses seats in midterm elections, and it is common for presidents to shake up their staffs halfway through a term.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Here are some campaign highlights compiled by AFP ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

And on Thursday, the producer-price index will be the last reading to help investors gauge the toll of surging diesel prices in the United States before the midterm elections.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

The party holding the White House has almost invariably lost seats in midterm elections, with just three exceptions in the House since 1934, according to figures compiled by the American Presidency Project.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

He would tell Master that the garden was something to do until he started school, since the headmistress at the staff school had told Master that he could not start midterm.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Katherine “Kitty” Good Semisch, a retired Bucks County teacher and a key figure in the documentary, says the series is perfectly timed for the midterms because of its efforts to humanize everyone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

What, if anything, about this documentary may help illuminate a few things for people, regardless of their political leanings, as we approach the midterms?

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

The 42-year-old took his wife Usha, three of their four children and their dog Atlas on Air Force Two for the flight to Cincinnati, where Vance cast an early vote for the midterms.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

Last, it reinforces that he probably does have plans for after the midterms.

From Slate ● Oct. 10, 2026

“I have midterms and papers due and dirty clothes I never picked up from my bedroom floor, and I have friends, lots of friends.”

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

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