mi d-ai r N‑UNCOUNT If something happens in mid-air , it happens in the air, rather than on the ground. □ The bird stopped and hovered in mid-air. □ …a mid-air collision.
mid|day /m I dde I /
1 N‑UNCOUNT [oft prep N ] Midday is twelve o'clock in the middle of the day. □ At midday everyone would go down to Reg's Cafe. □ It's eight minutes after midday.
2 N‑UNCOUNT [usu N n] Midday is the middle part of the day, from late morning to early afternoon. □ People were beginning to tire in the midday heat.
mid|dle ◆◆◆ /m I d ə l/ (middles )
1 N‑COUNT The middle of something is the part of it that is furthest from its edges, ends, or outside surface. □ [+ of ] Howard stood in the middle of the room, sipping a cup of coffee. □ [+ of ] Hyde accelerated away from the kerb, swerving out into the middle of the street. □ Make sure the roast potatoes aren't raw in the middle.
2 the middle of nowhere → see nowhere
3 ADJ [ADJ n] The middle object in a row of objects is the one that has an equal number of objects on each side. □ The middle button of his uniform jacket was strained over his belly. □ …the middle finger of her left hand.
4 N‑SING The middle of an event or period of time is the part that comes after the first part and before the last part. □ I woke up in the middle of the night and could hear a tapping on the window. □ It was now the middle of November, cold and often foggy. ● ADJ [ADJ n] Middle is also an adjective. □ The month began and ended dry, but the middle fortnight saw nearly 100mm of rain.
5 ADJ [ADJ n] The middle course or way is a moderate course of action that lies between two opposite and extreme courses. □ He favoured a middle course between free enterprise and state intervention.
6 PHRASE If you divide or split something down the middle , you divide or split it into two equal halves or groups. □ They agreed to split the bill down the middle.
7 PHRASE If you are in the middle of doing something, you are busy doing it. □ It's a bit hectic. I'm in the middle of cooking for nine people.
mi d|dle a ge N‑UNCOUNT Middle age is the period in your life when you are no longer young but have not yet become old. Middle age is usually considered to take place between the ages of 40 and 60. □ Men tend to put on weight in middle age.
mi ddle-a ged
1 ADJ If you describe someone as middle-aged , you mean that they are neither young nor old. People between the ages of 40 and 60 are usually considered to be middle-aged. □ …middle-aged, married businessmen.
2 ADJ If you describe someone's activities or interests as middle-aged , you are critical of them because you think they are typical of a middle-aged person, for example by being conventional or old-fashioned. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ Her novels are middle-aged and boring.
Mi d|dle A ges N‑PLURAL In European history, the Middle Ages was the period between the end of the Roman Empire in 476 AD and about 1500 AD, especially the later part of this period.
Mi d|dle Ame ri|ca
1 N‑UNCOUNT Journalists use Middle America to refer to middle class people in America who are believed not to like change. □ People in the United States want the President to pay attention to Middle America.
2 N‑PROPER Middle America is the same as the Midwest .
3 N‑PROPER Middle America is used to refer to the area consisting of Mexico and Central America, sometimes including the West Indies.
middle|brow /m I d ə lbraʊ/ also middle-brow ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe a piece of entertainment such as a book or film as middlebrow , you mean that although it may be interesting and enjoyable, it does not require much thought. □ …such middlebrow fare as Poirot, Sherlock Holmes and Jeeves and Wooster.
mi d|dle cla ss ◆◇◇ (middle classes ) N‑COUNT [with sing or pl verb] The middle class or middle classes are the people in a society who are not working class or upper class. Business people, managers, doctors, lawyers, and teachers are usually regarded as middle class. □ …the expansion of the middle class in the late 19th century. □ The President may have secured some support from the middle classes. ● ADJ Middle class is also an adjective. □ He is rapidly losing the support of blue-collar voters and of middle-class conservatives.
mi d|dle di s|tance
1 N‑SING [usu into/in the N ] If you are looking into the middle distance , you are looking at a place that is neither near nor far away. □ He stares detachedly into the middle distance, towards nothing in particular.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] A middle-distance runner is someone who takes part in races of medium length, for example 800 metres.
Mi d|dle E a st ◆◆◇ N‑PROPER The Middle East is the area around the eastern Mediterranean that includes Iran and all the countries in Asia to the west and south-west of Iran. □ The two great rivers of the Middle East rise in the mountains of Turkey.
Mi d|dle E a st|ern ADJ [ADJ n] Middle Eastern means relating to the Middle East. □ Most Middle Eastern countries have extremely high rates of population growth.
Mi d|dle E ng|land N‑UNCOUNT Journalists use Middle England to refer to middle class people in England who are believed not to like change. □ This shows that the people of Middle England no longer trust the Tories.
middle|man /m I d ə lmæn/ (middlemen )
1 N‑COUNT A middleman is a person or company which buys things from the people who produce them and sells them to the people who want to buy them. [BUSINESS ] □ Why don't they cut out the middleman and let us do it ourselves?