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.

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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

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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

• Midwesterner
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of Midwest

First recorded in 1890–95; mid- + west

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Midwest

Ronald Reagan was also a TKE from a college in the Midwest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

This part of the American Midwest was hit badly by last century's de-industrialisation, when those laid off from its once prolific factories sought work on the coasts or migrated to warmer, southern states.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

In addition to personally coaching top youth prospects from the Midwest, Gardner served as director of an annual winter meet that drew hundreds of gymnasts to Iowa.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

In much of the Midwest and South, $110,000 buys a nice home, but in the New York, Boston, California or Seattle areas, median prices can top $800,000, depending on the neighborhood.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

That summer, as she turned thirty, Elizebeth went to the Midwest for a long visit with old friends and family.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

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