caught in the middle

Idioms  

1. Also, caught in the cross-fire. Between two opposing sides, as in The writers are often caught in the middle between editor and publisher, who are political opponents, or When parents don't get along, the children are often caught in the cross-fire. Long used in military situations, these terms began to be used figuratively in the second half of the 1800s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

caught in the middle

As an artificial-intelligence researcher with a specialty in videogames, Togelius is caught in the middle of what he calls “an ongoing culture war” between his passions.

From MarketWatch ● May 23, 2026

For fliers caught in the middle, there’s no single rulebook to follow, aviation watchdogs said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026

But he cautioned that court challenges take time — time in which “untold damage” can be done to erode public trust and to the officials caught in the middle.

From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2026

Companies like Hutchison with critical assets in Latin America—or those with infrastructure projects still in the planning phases—could get caught in the middle.

From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026

Everyone except me, still caught in the middle.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore