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

Etymology

Origin of midterm

First recorded in 1865–70; mid- + term

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

All of that has made for tricky political terrain ahead of midterm elections.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

When Americans vote in November's midterm elections, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives will be on the ballot, but in much of the country the result is barely in doubt.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

The U.S. and Canadian governments, along with businesses in both countries, are bracing for a prolonged trade dispute that could last until after the midterm elections, according to people familiar with their thinking.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

The sector has faced rising costs of capital this summer as Treasury yields touched two-decade highs, and growing pushback from communities on new data centers ahead of the midterm elections in November.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

It's a lot of classes to miss, not to mention the midterm exams.

From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements

For many states, Talwani concluded, compliance before the midterms was practically impossible.

From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2026

Welker, speaking early Sunday to a local NBC affiliate, said Trump would "loom large over these midterms."

From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026

Mail ballots for the midterms are scheduled to start going out to voters as soon as next week, 60 days before the Nov. 3 election.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

To be sure, the stock market doesn’t always rally this strongly following the midterms.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

Between juggling part-time jobs and studying for midterms, they could barely keep afloat.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers