middle
- noun
- /ˈmɪdəl/
- The reader should be thrown into the middle of the situation, where the tension is high.
- middle of the night
- middle of the road
- somewhere in the middle
The answer lies in the middle on most things.
- The answer lies in the middle on most things.
- It's kind of like right in the middle, lower third.
- We're gonna move in the middle of Wisconsin.
- And we're in the middle of this climate change.
- Then the middle was real wet and the middle was real wet.
Examples
-
Sorry, we're in the middle of rehearsal.
-
Ma'am, she was in the middle of the street.
-
And now we are in the middle of the crisis.
-
Just get yourself to the middle and see what shows up.
-
You can see the V in the middle just here.
-
The answer lies in the middle on most things.
-
We're 2,000 feet up in the middle of the desert.
-
Henry sat at the big table in the middle of the room and drew.
Fiction book (1990) -
In essence, you are standing in the middle of an incredibly powerful genetics factory.
Fiction book (1990) -
We stopped for lunch at a picnic table located in the middle of the park.
Synonyms
The central part of something, for example an idea or a place
The middle point of something that is equally far from all sides
The middle of a group or place surrounded by others
The calm center of an area surrounded by strong wind or activity
The middle part of the body between the chest and the waist
A point exactly halfway between the two ends of a line or the sides of a shape
A line you imagine that divides the body into left and right halves
The exact middle point of something
The middle part of a story or process between the beginning and end
The middle part of a bridge or beam between its supports
The middle part of an animal's body, like a fish or snake
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
A person who is between two sides and cannot change what happens
- Informal
People say this jokingly about someone who often does dangerous things
Compounds
A region around the eastern Mediterranean including countries from Egypt and Turkey to Iran
A school for children between elementary and high school, usually grades 6 to 8
Having higher than average income, education, and social position among the middle class
Having a modest income and social position in the lower part of the middle class
- Offensive
A rude hand sign made by raising the finger in the middle to insult someone
- Specialized
A space filled with air behind the eardrum that contains three tiny bones that carry sound to the inner ear
- Specialized
A large artery in the brain that gives blood to much of the outer brain
A region in the east of the United States that includes states like New York and Virginia
- Specialized
A blood vessel inside the skull that carries blood to the coverings of the brain
- Specialized
The second part of the Old Stone Age when Neanderthals lived, until about 35,000 BC
- US
A region in the north-central United States that includes states like Ohio and Illinois
- Specialized
A vein deep in the side of the brain that drains blood toward the base of the brain
- Specialized
A viral illness that causes fever, cough, and breathing problems and often spreads from camels to people
A form of the Irish language used in speech and writing from about 1100 to 1500
- Specialized
An old form of Low German spoken in northern Germany and by the Hanseatic League between 1100 and 1500
A form of Greek spoken and written from about 600 to 1200 AD between Ancient and Modern Greek
An older form of German spoken in southern Germany and nearby areas from about 1100 to 1500
- Specialized
A tube near the temple that carries blood to a larger vein behind the jaw
- Specialized
A word or phrase that appears in both statements but not in the conclusion
- Specialized
Hearing loss caused by problems with the small bones in the middle ear
- Specialized
A neck vein that carries blood from the side of the thyroid gland into a large vein in the neck
- Specialized
The time on a ship from midnight to four in the morning when crew are on duty
- Specialized
A large vein along the Sylvian fissure on the side of the brain that drains into the cavernous sinus
How Central
Surface Forms
Morphology
middle = mid (transparent) = mid + dle
The word is clearly built from the base 'mid' with a minor formative, so learners who know 'mid' can derive the meaning.
Etymology
Middle comes from an old Germanic root mid meaning 'between' or 'in the middle'. The same mid is in midnight and midday, so middle is the central point equally far from the start and the end.