Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

middle

1 noun
     
mid‧dle1 S1 W2
1

centre part

the middle

the part that is nearest the centre of something, and furthest from the sides, edges, top, bottom etc
the middle of
We rowed out towards the middle of the lake.
in the middle (of something)
Jo was standing in the middle of the room.
Those are my two brothers, and that's me in the middle.
The meat was burnt on the outside and raw in the middle.
a huge hole right in the middle of the lawn
down the middle (of something)
Draw a line down the middle of the page.
2

time/event

the middle

the part of an event or period of time that is between the beginning and the end
the middle of
events which took place around the middle of the last century
in the middle (of something)
I'm going to stay with some friends in the middle of May.
He gets killed in the middle of the film.
the middle of the night/day
I got a phone call from her in the middle of the night!
the middle of the week/month/year etc
Everything should be sorted out by the middle of next year.
3

scale/range

the middle

the level or position that is between two extreme positions, for example between the best and the worst:
There are plenty of small houses for sale, and quite a lot of very large ones, but very little in the middle.
the middle of
In tests, I always seem to finish around the middle of the class.
4

body

[countable usually singular] the part of your body around your waist and stomach
somebody's middle
He was holding a towel around his middle.
5

be in the middle of (doing) something

to be busy doing something:
Can I call you back - I'm in the middle of a meeting.
I was in the middle of sorting some papers when the phone rang.
6

in the middle of something

if you are in the middle of something, it is happening to you or around you:
At that time Britain was in the middle of a recession.
The company is in the middle of a takeover battle.
7

in the middle of nowhere

a long way from the nearest big town:
They live miles away, in the middle of nowhere.
8

divide/split something down the middle

to divide something into equal halves or groups:
We put all the money together and then split it down the middle.
The voters are split down the middle on this issue.

➔ piggy in the middle

at piggy1 (2)
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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