INDEX:
1. the middle
2. in the middle
RELATED WORDS
between two or more people or things : ↑ BETWEEN
see also
↑ EDGE
↑ SIDE
↑ END
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1. the middle
▷ middle /ˈmɪdl/ [singular noun]
the part of something, such as a space or area, a piece of writing, or a period of time, which is half way between one side and the other, or halfway between the beginning and the end :
▪ ‘Did you enjoy the movie?’ ‘It was OK but I got a little bored towards the middle.’
middle of
▪ Gary rowed out towards the middle of the lake.
▪ It was the middle of summer.
▪ Going through the middle of Tokyo in the rush hour can be a nightmare.
▷ centre British /center American /ˈsentəʳ/ [countable noun usually singular]
the middle of a space, area, or object, especially the exact middle :
▪ The flower has white petals, and is deep pink at the centre.
▪ I love chocolates with soft centers.
the centre of something
▪ Draw a line through the center of the circle.
at the centre/in the centre (of something)
exactly in the middle of something
▪ A bomb has exploded in the crowded business district in the centre of the old city.
right in the centre
exactly in the centre
▪ The women all wore a red dot right in the centre of their foreheads.
▷ the heart of /ðə ˈhɑːʳt ɒv/ [noun phrase]
the middle of an area, town, or city :
▪ The hotel is located in the heart of Moscow.
▪ a quiet village in the heart of the English countryside
▷ core /kɔːʳ/ [countable noun]
the central part of a large object such as a very large rock or the Earth :
▪ The Earth has a solid inner core 2500 km in diameter.
▪ Only the core of the volcano remained.
2. in the middle
▷ in the middle /ɪn ðə ˈmɪdl/ [adverb]
▪ At the back there was a small garden with a fishpond in the middle.
▪ I was never at the top of my class. I was somewhere in the middle, I suppose.
in the middle of
▪ Lizzie woke up in the middle of the night with a toothache.
▪ At the time, the country was in the middle of an economic recession.
▷ middle /ˈmɪdl/ [adjective only before noun]
the middle drawer/shelf/finger etc
the one in the middle :
▪ You’ll find the scissors in the middle drawer of my desk.
▪ Jane was wearing a gold ring on her middle finger.
▪ There were three children in my family, and I was the middle one.
▷ central /ˈsentrəl/ [adjective only before noun]
in the middle of an area, country, or town :
▪ The houses face onto a central courtyard.
▪ the tropical rainforest in central Africa
▪ central London
▷ centre British /center American /ˈsentəʳ/ [adjective only before noun]
centre door/panel/page etc
the door etc that is in the middle with others on either side :
▪ On the center panel of the screen there is a painting of a Greek goddess.
▪ There’s usually a picture of some glamorous girl on the centre page.
▷ at/in the centre British /at/in the center American /æt, ɪn ðə ˈsentəʳ/ [adverb]
exactly in the middle of something :
▪ It was a huge room with a high ceiling and an oak table in the centre.
at/in the centre of
▪ At the center of the atom is the nucleus.
▪ The city of Turin stands at the centre of the Piedmontese plain.
▷ halfway /ˌhɑːfˈweɪ◂ǁˌhæf-/ [adverb/adjective]
at the middle point between two places or of a period of time or event :
halfway across/between/down/up etc
▪ Our car broke down halfway across the bridge.
▪ We were halfway down the mountain when it started snowing.
▪ Joe was pretty unhappy and left the college halfway through the year.
the halfway mark
the middle point of something
▪ The Scots opened up a 29-17 lead, and at the halfway mark they were still in front.
▷ mid- /mɪd-/ [prefix]
in or near the middle of a period of time :
▪ The house was built in the mid-18th century.
▪ As the value of the US dollar fell in the mid-1980s, so did the value of UK reserves.
▪ Let’s meet again mid-week.
▷ midway /ˌmɪdˈweɪ◂ǁˈmɪdweɪ/ [adverb]
at the middle point of a distance, a period of time, or a set of numbers :
midway between/through
▪ The islands lie in the Indian Ocean midway between Madagascar and Tanzania.
▪ United took the lead midway through the first half.
▪ At a guess, I’d say he was midway between 50 and 60.
▷ midpoint /ˈmɪdpɔɪnt/ [countable noun]
the point that is an equal distance from either end of a process or scale :
▪ The Redskins and the Giants were the leaders as the midpoint in the season drew near.
midpoint of
▪ By the midpoint of the twentieth century, the economy had begun to improve.