Middle
/ˈmɪdl/
Definitions
2 meaningsThe point, space, or time that is equally distant from the extremities.
/ˈmɪdl/
The central point, position, or part.
She placed the cake in the middle of the table.
💡 Simply: Imagine a line, the middle is right in the center, like where your belly button is on your body. It's not the beginning or the end, but the space in between!
👶 For kids: The middle is the place in the very center, like when you stand in between your two friends.
More Examples
The middle of the book was the most exciting part.
The accident happened in the middle of the night.
How It's Used
"The ball landed in the middle of the field."
"The median is the middle value in a data set."
Located in the center of something.
/ˈmɪdl/
Being in the center.
She chose the middle seat on the airplane.
💡 Simply: Something that's in the middle is in the exact center, like the middle seat on a bus or the middle slice of a cake.
👶 For kids: The middle is where something is in the center, like the middle of a sandwich.
More Examples
The middle lane of the highway is often the fastest.
The middle drawer in the dresser held socks and underwear.
How It's Used
"The middle option on the list"
Synonyms
Idioms & expressions
in the middle of
Surrounded or positioned at the center of something.
"I was in the middle of a phone call when the doorbell rang."
middle ground
A position or compromise acceptable to both sides of a disagreement.
"The mediator tried to find a middle ground between the union and the company."
the middle ages
The period in European history from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance.
"The Middle Ages were a significant period in European history."
From Old English middel, from Proto-Germanic *midją (compare German Mitte, Dutch middel), from Proto-Indo-European *médʰyos (compare Latin medius, Greek mésos).
The word 'middle' has been used in English since Old English times, evolving from its Germanic origins. Its usage has consistently denoted the central position or part.