midterm

American  

[mid-turm] / ˈmɪdˌtɜrm /

noun

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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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

During the summer, lawmakers will ramp up campaigning ahead of the November midterm elections.

From Barron's • May 12, 2026

The company was spun off by Novartis in 2023, and at that time its midterm targets for 2028 didn’t include obesity drugs.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

The U.S. midterm elections historically tend to dampen stock-market optimism, as was seen in 2018 and 2022, RBC notes.

From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026

She said that she had a marine biology assignment due Friday and a midterm Monday in an evolutionary medicine course, and that she had not saved the readings offline, making for “a stressful morning.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

“If you apply yourself, I have no doubt you could be at the top of your class,” his science teacher had told him after getting the highest grade on his midterm last year.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman