🌊 Middle of river ⏳ Middle of process

midstream

7 4.1

The middle part of a river or stream between the banks

noun
/ˈmɪdˌstrim/

: en medio del río

But when you shift your argument midstream when someone calls you out, it makes it harder.

Examples

"Never change horses in midstream."

Wag the Dog (1997)
Oliver is joining us midstream here at St. Patrick, and we are very happy to have him, are we not?

St. Vincent (2014)
No, no, no, I hate to cut him off midstream.

Sherlock Holmes (2009)
I hate to cut him off midstream.

Sherlock Holmes (2010)
The deal is far from over, because nobody walks out on me in midstream.

Love and Bullets (1979)
Carl stopped in midstream to help the children, lifting each in turn across.

Fiction book (1999)
You don't want to change horses in midstream.

Wag the Dog (1997)
'Cause you don't change horses in midstream.

Wag the Dog (1997)
Don't change horses in midstream.

Wag the Dog (1997)
The canoe flipped over midstream, forcing us to swim to the bank.

Synonyms

mid-channel

vsmidstream

4.4

The middle part of a river away from the banks

is limited to streams and rivers rather than broader waterways

Idioms

in midstream

3 6.5

While something is still happening and not finished

to change horses in midstream

Informal

1 8.1

Switching leaders or plans during a project that is already happening when it is risky

How Downstream

mouth

169 3.1

downstream

9 3.0

midstream

7 4.1

upstream

3 3.5

headwaters

Specialized

1 5.5

Surface Forms

midstream singular

midstreams plural

Morphology

midstream = mid + stream (transparent) = mid + stream

The noun sense is a straightforward combination of 'mid' (middle) + 'stream' (river), giving the middle part of a stream; easily inferable by learners.

Etymology

Midstream is made of mid and stream, where mid means 'middle' like in midday and stream means 'a small river' or 'a flow of water'. So midstream is the 'middle part of a river', the area of water between the two banks.