3 ADJ If something is of a medium colour, it is neither light nor dark, but approximately half way between the two. □ Andrea has medium brown hair, grey eyes and very pale skin.
4 N‑COUNT A medium is a way or means of expressing your ideas or of communicating with people. □ [+ of ] In Sierra Leone, English is used as the medium of instruction for all primary education. □ But Artaud was increasingly dissatisfied with film as a medium.
5 N‑COUNT A medium is a substance or material which is used for a particular purpose or in order to produce a particular effect. □ Blood is the medium in which oxygen is carried to all parts of the body. □ Hyatt has found a way of creating these qualities using the more permanent medium of oil paint.
6 N‑COUNT A medium is a person who claims to be able to contact and speak to people who are dead, and to pass messages between them and people who are still alive.
7 → see also media
8 PHRASE If you strike or find a happy medium between two extreme and opposite courses of action, you find a sensible way of behaving that is somewhere between the two extremes. □ I aim to strike a happy medium between playing entertaining football and getting results. SYNONYMS medium ADJ 1
average: …a woman of average height.
mean: …the mean score for 26-year-olds.
middling: …a man of middling height.
me dium-dry also medium dry ADJ Medium-dry wine or sherry is not very sweet.
me dium-sized also medium size ADJ [usu ADJ n] Medium-sized means neither large nor small, but approximately half way between the two. □ …a medium-sized saucepan. □ …medium-sized accountancy firms.
me dium-te rm N‑SING [usu N n] The medium-term is the period of time which lasts a few months or years beyond the present time, in contrast with the short term or the long term. □ The medium-term economic prospects remained poor. □ She risks losing her salary in the medium-term and damaging her long-term career prospects.
me |dium wave N‑UNCOUNT [usu on N ] Medium wave is a range of radio waves which are used for broadcasting. [mainly BRIT ] □ …a station broadcasting pop music on medium wave.
med|ley /me dli/ (medleys )
1 N‑COUNT In music, a medley is a collection of different tunes or songs that are played one after the other as a single piece of music. □ [+ of ] …a medley of traditional songs.
2 N‑COUNT In sport, a medley is a swimming race in which the four main strokes are used one after the other. □ He won the Men's 200 metres Individual Medley.
meek /miː k/ (meeker , meekest ) ADJ If you describe a person as meek , you think that they are gentle and quiet, and likely to do what other people say. □ He was a meek, mild-mannered fellow. ● meek|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ Most have meekly accepted such advice.
meet ◆◆◆ /miː t/ (meets , meeting , met )
1 VERB If you meet someone, you happen to be in the same place as them and start talking to them. You may know the other person, but be surprised to see them, or you may not know them at all. □ [V n] I have just met the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. □ [V n] He's the kindest and sincerest person I've ever met. □ [V ] We met by chance. ● PHRASAL VERB Meet up means the same as meet . □ [V P + with ] When he was in the supermarket, he met up with a buddy he had at Oxford. □ [V P ] They met up in 1956, when they were both young schoolboys.
2 VERB If two or more people meet , they go to the same place, which they have earlier arranged to do, so that they can talk or do something together. □ [V ] We could meet for a drink after work. □ [V n] Meet me down at the beach tomorrow, at 6am sharp. ● PHRASAL VERB Meet up means the same as meet . □ [V P ] We tend to meet up for lunch once a week. □ [V P + with ] My intention was to have a holiday and meet up with old friends.
3 VERB If you meet someone, you are introduced to them and begin talking to them and getting to know them. □ [V n] Hey, Terry, come and meet my Dad.
4 VERB You use meet in expressions such as ' Pleased to meet you ' and ' Nice to have met you ' when you want to politely say hello or goodbye to someone you have just met for the first time. [FORMULAE ] □ [V n] 'Jennifer,' Miss Mallory said, 'this is Leigh Van-Voreen.'—'Pleased to meet you,' Jennifer said. □ [V n] I have to leave. Nice to have met you.
5 VERB If you meet someone off their train, plane, or bus, you go to the station, airport, or bus stop in order to be there when they arrive. □ [V n prep/adv] Mama met me at the station. □ [V n + off ] Lili and my father met me off the boat. □ [V n] Kurt's parents weren't able to meet our plane so we took a taxi.
6 VERB When a group of people such as a committee meet , they gather together for a particular purpose. □ [V ] Officials from the two countries will meet again soon to resume negotiations. □ [V ] The commission met 14 times between 1988 and 1991.
7 VERB If you meet with someone, you have a meeting with them. [mainly AM ] □ [V + with ] Most of the lawmakers who met with the president yesterday said they backed the mission.
8 VERB If something such as a suggestion, proposal, or new book meets with or is met with a particular reaction, it gets that reaction from people. □ [V + with ] The idea met with a cool response from various quarters. □ [V n + with ] Reagan's speech was met with incredulity in the U.S.