middle
Other forms: middling; middles; middler; middled; middlingly
The middle of something is its center, or the point where the two ends are the same distance away. If you're in the middle of a 26.2 mile marathon, you've reached the halfway mark, and you've run 13.1 miles.
A middle part in your hair is in the center of your scalp, and the middle of a tennis court has a net for hitting the ball over. Middle also means "belly" or "abdomen," as in the middle part of a body, or "between an earlier and later time." Your middle name is usually the second of three names. If someone says, "Patience is my middle name," they mean that it's their most distinct or strong characteristic.
Definitions of middle
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an area that is approximately central within some larger region
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examples:
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City of London
the part of London situated within the ancient boundaries; the commercial and financial center of London
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types:
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center stage, centre stage
the central area on a theater stage
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central city, city center, city centre
the central part of a city
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storm center, storm centre
the central area or place of lowest barometric pressure within a storm
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financial center
the part of a city where financial institutions are centered
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hub
a center of activity or interest or commerce or transportation; a focal point around which events revolve
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inner city
the older and more populated and (usually) poorer central section of a city
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medical center
the part of a city where medical facilities are centered
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midfield
(sports) the middle part of a playing field (as in football or lacrosse)
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seat
a center of authority (as a city from which authority is exercised)
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midstream
the middle of a stream
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capital
a seat of government
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civic center, down town, municipal center
the center of a city
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county courthouse, county seat
the town or city that is the seat of government for a county
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county town, shire town
the town or city that is the seat of government for a shire
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see
the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located
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City of London
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an intermediate part or section“"A whole is that which has beginning, middle, and end"- Aristotle”
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the middle area of the human torso (usually in front)
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synonyms:
midriff, midsection
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time between the beginning and the end of a temporal period“the middle of the war”“rain during the middle of April”
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Antonyms:
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beginning, commencement, first, get-go, kickoff, offset, outset, showtime, start, starting time
the time at which something is supposed to begin
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end, ending
the point in time at which something ends
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types:
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deep
the central and most intense or profound part
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type of:
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point, point in time
an instant of time
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beginning, commencement, first, get-go, kickoff, offset, outset, showtime, start, starting time
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being neither at the beginning nor at the end in a series“the middle point on a line”
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synonyms:
in-between, mediate
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intermediate
lying between two extremes in time or space or state
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intermediate
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equally distant from the extremes
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between an earlier and a later period of time“in the middle years”“in his middle thirties”
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Synonyms:
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intervening
occurring or falling between events or points in time
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mid
used in combination to denote the middle
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Antonyms:
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early
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
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late
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
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aboriginal, primaeval, primal, primeval, primordial
having existed from the beginning; in an earliest or original stage or state
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advance, beforehand
being ahead of time or need
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archaean, archean
of or relating to the earliest known rocks formed during the Precambrian Eon
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archaeozoic, archeozoic
of or belonging to earlier of two divisions of the Precambrian era
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azoic
before the appearance of life
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earlier, earliest
(comparative and superlative of `early') more early than; most early
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earlyish
being somewhat early
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premature, untimely
uncommonly early or before the expected time
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premature, previous
too soon or too hasty
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proterozoic
formed in the later of two divisions of the Precambrian era
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proto
indicating the first or earliest or original
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wee
very early
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advanced, ripe
far along in time
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after-hours
after closing time especially a legally established closing time
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latish
somewhat late
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posthumous
occurring or coming into existence after a person's death
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first
preceding all others in time or space or degree
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intervening
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of a stage in the development of a language or literature between earlier and later stages“Middle English is the English language from about 1100 to 1500”“Middle Gaelic”
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Antonyms:
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early
of an early stage in the development of a language or literature
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late
of a later stage in the development of a language or literature; used especially of dead languages
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Old
of a very early stage in development
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Modern, New
used of a living language; being the current stage in its development
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New
in use after medieval times
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early
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put in the middle
Pronunciation
US
/ˈmɪdl/
UK
/ˈmɪdəl/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘middle'.
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