The middle of a two-dimensional shape or area is the part that is furthest from its sides, edges, or boundaries.
Centre is used in a similar way, but it usually refers to a more precise point or position. For example, in mathematics you talk about the centre of a circle, not the 'middle'.
In American English, this word is spelled center.
The middle of a road or river is the part that is furthest from its sides or banks.
The middle of an event or period of time is a period which is halfway between its beginning and its end.
| Imperative |
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| middle |
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| Noun | 1. | middle - an area that is approximately central within some larger region; "it is in the center of town"; "they ran forward into the heart of the struggle"; "they were in the eye of the storm" area, country - a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography); "it was a mountainous area"; "Bible country" center stage, centre stage - the central area on a theater stage storm center, storm centre - the central area or place of lowest barometric pressure within a storm financial center - the part of a city where financial institutions are centered hub - a center of activity or interest or commerce or transportation; a focal point around which events revolve; "the playground is the hub of parental supervision"; "the airport is the economic hub of the area" inner city - the older and more populated and (usually) poorer central section of a city medical center - the part of a city where medical facilities are centered midfield - (sports) the middle part of a playing field (as in football or lacrosse) seat - a center of authority (as a city from which authority is exercised) midstream - the middle of a stream |
| 2. | middle - an intermediate part or section; "A whole is that which has beginning, middle, and end"- Aristotle division, section, part - one of the portions into which something is regarded as divided and which together constitute a whole; "the written part of the exam"; "the finance section of the company"; "the BBC's engineering division" beginning - the first part or section of something; "`It was a dark and stormy night' is a hackneyed beginning for a story" end - a final part or section; "we have given it at the end of the section since it involves the calculus"; "Start at the beginning and go on until you come to the end" | |
| 3. | middle - the middle area of the human torso (usually in front); "young American women believe that a bare midriff is fashionable" | |
| 4. | middle - time between the beginning and the end of a temporal period; "the middle of the war"; "rain during the middle of April" point in time, point - an instant of time; "at that point I had to leave" deep - the central and most intense or profound part; "in the deep of night"; "in the deep of winter" commencement, get-go, offset, outset, showtime, starting time, beginning, start, kickoff, first - the time at which something is supposed to begin; "they got an early start"; "she knew from the get-go that he was the man for her" | |
| Verb | 1. | middle - put in the middle |
| Adj. | 1. | middle - being neither at the beginning nor at the end in a series; "adolescence is an awkward in-between age"; "in a mediate position"; "the middle point on a line"intermediate - lying between two extremes in time or space or state; "going from sitting to standing without intermediate pushes with the hands"; "intermediate stages in a process"; "intermediate stops on the route"; "an intermediate range plane" |
| 2. | middle - equally distant from the extremes central - in or near a center or constituting a center; the inner area; "a central position" | |
| 3. | middle - 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" linguistics - the scientific study of language early - of an early stage in the development of a language or literature; "the Early Hebrew alphabetical script is that used mainly from the 11th to the 6th centuries B.C."; "Early Modern English is represented in documents printed from 1476 to 1700" late - of a later stage in the development of a language or literature; used especially of dead languages; "Late Greek" | |
| 4. | middle - between an earlier and a later period of time; "in the middle years"; "in his middle thirties" early - at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time; "early morning"; "an early warning"; "early diagnosis"; "an early death"; "took early retirement"; "an early spring"; "early varieties of peas and tomatoes mature before most standard varieties" late - being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time; "late evening"; "late 18th century"; "a late movie"; "took a late flight"; "had a late breakfast" |