2
: being at neither extreme : intermediate
of middle size
3
Middle
a
: constituting a division intermediate between those prior and later or upper and lower
Middle Paleozoic
b
: constituting a period of a language or literature intermediate between one called Old and one called New or Modern
Middle Dutch
4
of a verb form or voice
: typically asserting that a person or thing both performs and is affected by the action represented
1
: a middle part, point, or position
the middle of the street
parts his hair in the middle
2
: the central portion of the human body : waist
3
: the position of being among or in the midst of something
in the middle of the crowd
4
: something intermediate between extremes : mean
5
: the center of an offensive or defensive formation
especially
: the area between the second baseman and the shortstop
see also:
Examples of middle in a Sentence
Adjective
during the century's middle decades
High temperatures today should be in the middle 80s.
Franklin D. Roosevelt's middle initial stood for “Delano.”
Noun
A good essay will have a clear beginning, middle, and end.
He stood exactly in the middle of the room.
She opened the book to the middle and began to read.
The car stopped in the middle of the road.
The house should be finished by the middle of next summer.
The beginning and ending of the movie were good, but the middle was pretty boring.
She put her arms around his middle.
He tied the sash around his middle.
Recent Examples on the Web
Zak Keefer, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
High temperatures will only top out in the lower to middle 60s with overnight lows in the upper 30s and lower 40s.
—Steven Sosna, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
On days with heavy rain in Key Biscayne, golf carts can stall out in the middle of the street, electric cars get stranded in rising water and residents wade through inches — sometimes feet — of flooding.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for middle
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
Instead, the 2026 draft saw a running back go third, a middle linebacker go seventh, and nine offensive linemen gone by the end of the first round.
—Zak Keefer, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
High temperatures will only top out in the lower to middle 60s with overnight lows in the upper 30s and lower 40s.
—Steven Sosna, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
Then Cash made another surprising move by leaving Vilade in to hit against Gaddis rather than pinch-hitting lefty Jake Fraley, and that also paid off when Vilade delivered an RBI single up the middle.
—Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
On days with heavy rain in Key Biscayne, golf carts can stall out in the middle of the street, electric cars get stranded in rising water and residents wade through inches — sometimes feet — of flooding.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for middle
Cite this Entry
“Middle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/middle. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
middle
1 of 2 adjective
mid·dle
ˈmid-ᵊl 
1
: equally distant from the ends or sides
2
: being at neither extreme : intermediate
of middle size
3
capitalized
: constituting an intermediate division or period
Middle Paleozoic
middle
2 of 2 noun1
: a middle part, point, or position : center
2
3
: the position of being among or in the midst of something
in the middle of the crowd
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