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• midway
  midway

  adverb

  in the middle of the way or distance; halfway.
• Midway
  Midway

  noun

  several U.S. islets in the N Pacific, about 1,300 miles (2,095 km) NW of Hawaii: Japanese defeated in a naval battle June, 1942; 2 sq. mi. (5 sq. km).

midway

¹ American  

[mid-wey, mid-wey] / ˈmɪdˈweɪ, ˈmɪdˌweɪ /

adverb

1. in the middle of the way or distance; halfway.

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noun

1. a place or part situated midway.

2. (often initial capital letter) the place or way, as at a fair or carnival, on or along which sideshows and similar amusements are located.

3. the amusements, concessions, etc., located on or around this place or way.

Midway ² American  

[mid-wey] / ˈmɪdˌweɪ /

noun

1. several U.S. islets in the N Pacific, about 1,300 miles (2,095 km) NW of Hawaii: Japanese defeated in a naval battle June, 1942; 2 sq. mi. (5 sq. km).

2. an airport in Chicago.

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midway British  

/ ˈmɪdˌweɪ /

adjective

1. in or at the middle of the distance; halfway

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noun

1. a place in a fair, carnival, etc, where sideshows are located

2. obsolete a middle place, way, etc

Etymology

Origin of midway

First recorded before 900; Middle English midwei, Old English midweg; see mid ¹, way ¹; midway defs. 3, 4 after the Midway Plaisance, the main thoroughfare of the World Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago in 1893

Explanation

Anything midway between two points is halfway between them. A midway is also a place at a carnival where sideshow entertainment is located. Being midway is being at a midpoint or the center. If you're halfway between home and school, you're midway between those two places. At the end of sophomore year, you're midway through high school. Another type of midway is part of a fair or carnival. On the midway, you'll find sideshow amusements such as a bearded lady, a snake charmer, or someone swallowing a sword.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

midway Midway

About midway through the 2025 season, the Rams began regularly deploying as many as three tight ends at a time — and using them as targets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

An athlete's Hyrox performance has sparked debate after completing a race in Beijing despite soiling herself midway through the event.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

But as the latest entry in a fantasy series—especially at the midway point of a planned five-book plot arc—its momentum feels curiously unhurried.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

My husband and I have had custody of our granddaughter since midway through her freshman year of high school.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

I am midway across a vast meadow, tall grass cutting my legs, before I realize I have nowhere to go.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper

Back when the Bears won six titles in the 1930s and 1940s, their defensive titans were dubbed the Monsters of the Midway.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Midway through the first half, Foden picked up the ball wide on the right-hand side in his own half and was closed down by Fernandes, who tripped the City man.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

She shares this with Hannah Neeleman, the Ballerina Farm influencer who recently opened a boutique in Midway, Utah, that is driving locals up the wall.

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026

Her bill, Senate Bill 344, deems Midway Rising in full compliance with the state’s landmark California Environmental Quality Act, known was CEQA.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026

When President Cleveland’s carriage came to Sol Bloom’s Algerian Village, at the Muslim core of the Midway, Bloom gave a nod, and the women of the village dropped their veils.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

• halfway