Midwest

American  

[mid-west] / ˈmɪdˈwɛst /

noun

1. the north-central region of the United States, especially the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

---

adjective

1. Midwestern.

Midwest British  

/ ˈmɪdˈwɛst /

noun

1. the N central part of the US; the region consisting of the states from Ohio westwards that border on the Great Lakes, often extended to include the upper Mississippi and Missouri valleys

---

Usage

What does Midwest mean? The Midwest is the northern central area of the mainland United States. Generally, the boundaries of the Midwest are Canada to the north, the Rocky Mountains to the west, the southern borders of Missouri and Kansas to the south, and the Allegheny Mountains to the east. Sometimes the Midwest is thought of as extending to the eastern border of Illinois or Ohio. The Midwest is one of the United States’ four official regions as defined by the U. S. Census Bureau. Because the Census Bureau doesn’t divide states when defining regions, it sets Ohio as the Midwest’s eastern border. According to the Census, 12 states are located within the Midwest: Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota. Americans themselves often differ in terms of which states they consider to be in the Midwest. Sometimes, states on the fringes, such as Ohio or North Dakota, aren’t considered to be a part of the Midwest. Adjective forms of Midwest include Midwestern and Middle Western, but Midwest can also be used as an adjective, as in Midwest states. A person from the Midwest can be called a Midwesterner. Much less commonly, it’s called the Middle West. Example: I always love to travel to the central United States to see the beautiful scenery of the Midwest.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Midwesterner
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Midwest

First recorded in 1890–95; mid- + west

Example Sentences

Florsheim, who is now represented by lawyers from the nonprofit Midwest Environmental Advocates, has appealed his case to a higher court.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

Brad Koehn, CEO of Nebraska-based Midwest Bank, said many farmer customers have depleted their working capital in the last several years as costs rose for everything from labor to equipment parts.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026

Back in the start of the century, they advertised in newspapers from the Midwest to Hawaii, and they put uniforms on boys as young as 6.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

A young actor born in the Midwest said she had left the United States because she was “just done with it all.”

From Salon • May 22, 2026

Penn then remarked that Engel’s English must have been picked up in the American Midwest, which left the rest of us speechless for a longish moment.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein