middle

middle
[[t]mɪ̱d(ə)l[/t]]
♦
middles
1) N-COUNT: usu the N in sing, oft N of n The middle of something is the part of it that is furthest from its edges, ends, or outside surface.
the middle of nowhere → see nowhere

Howard stood in the middle of the room sipping a cup of coffee...

Hyde accelerated away from the kerb, swerving out into the middle of the street...

I was in the middle of the back row...

Father told her to make sure the roast potatoes weren't raw in the middle.

Syn:
2) ADJ: ADJ n The middle object in a row of objects is the one that has an equal number of objects on each side.

The middle button of his uniform jacket was strained over his belly...

Around the middle finger of her left hand, she wore a gold ring.

3) N-COUNT: usu poss N Your middle is the part of your body around your stomach. [INFORMAL]

At age fifty-three, he now has a few extra pounds around his middle...

The cook's apron covered her middle.

Syn:
4) N-SING: the N of n The middle of an event or period of time is the part that comes after the first part and before the last part.

I woke up in the middle of the night and could hear a tapping on the window...

It was now the middle of November, cold and often foggy...

By the middle of 1979, Jimmy Carter was in serious political trouble...

She was born in the middle of a rain storm.

ADJ: ADJ n
Middle is also an adjective.

The month began and ended quite dry, but the middle fortnight saw nearly 100mm of rain fall nationwide.

5) ADJ: ADJ n If someone is in their middle thirties, for example, they are aged somewhere approximately between thirty-four and thirty-six.

She knew he was in his middle fifties, although he looked much younger...

I went on competing till I was in my middle forties.

6) ADJ: ADJ n The middle child in a family has equal numbers of younger and older brothers and sisters.

His middle son died in a drowning accident five years back.

7) ADJ: ADJ n The middle course or way is a moderate course of action that lies between two opposite and extreme courses.

He favoured a middle course between free enterprise and state intervention...

The Mayor of Jerusalem has tried to minimise conflict by maintaining a middle way between the various religions.

Ant:
8) PHRASE: PHR after v If you divide or split something down the middle, you divide or split it into two equal halves or groups.

After agreeing to split the bill down the middle, they ordered spaghetti and a bottle of red wine...

If the conservatives are not removed, then the party will almost certainly split down the middle.

Syn:
in half
9) PHRASE: v-link PHR -ing/n If you are in the middle of doing something, you are busy doing it.

It's a bit hectic. I'm in the middle of cooking for nine people...

He was always in the middle of a business transaction.


English dictionary. 2008.

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Synonyms:
, , , , , , / , , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Middle — Mid dle (m[i^]d d l), a. [OE. middel, AS. middel; akin to D. middel, OHG. muttil, G. mittel. [root]271. See {Mid}, a.] [1913 Webster] 1. Equally distant from the extreme either of a number of things or of one thing; mean; medial; as, the middle… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Middle — may refer to: Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2.1 Geography in fiction …   Wikipedia

  • middle — [mid′ l] adj. [ME middel < OE < midd ,MID1 + el, LE] 1. halfway between two given points, times, limits, etc.; also, equally distant from all sides or extremities; in the center; mean 2. in between; intermediate; intervening 3. Gram. a …   English World dictionary

  • Middle — Mid dle, n. [AS. middel. See {Middle}, a.] The point or part equally distant from the extremities or exterior limits, as of a line, a surface, or a solid; an intervening point or part in space, time, or order of series; the midst; central… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • middle — [adj] central average, between, betwixt and between*, center, centermost, equidistant, halfway, inner, inside, intermediate, intervening, mainstream, mean, medial, median, medium, mezzo*, middlemost, middle of the road*, midmost, smack in the… …   New thesaurus

  • middle C — n [U] the musical note C, which is the middle note on a piano …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • middle C — ► NOUN Music ▪ the C near the middle of the piano keyboard, written on the first ledger line below the treble stave or the first ledger line above the bass stave …   English terms dictionary

  • middle — ► ADJECTIVE 1) at an equal distance from the extremities of something; central. 2) intermediate in rank, quality, or ability. ► NOUN 1) a middle point or position. 2) informal a person s waist and stomach …   English terms dictionary

  • middle — I adjective average, axial, centermost, central, centric, centroidal, equidistant, halfway, interjacent, intermediary, intermediate, mean, medial, median, mediate, mediocre, medium, mid, midmost, midway, pivotal II noun average, axis, center,… …   Law dictionary

  • middle — n *center, midst, core, hub, focus, nucleus, heart …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • middle C — n. 1. the musical note on the first ledger line below the treble staff and the first above the bass staff 2. the corresponding tone or key …   English World dictionary

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