in the middle

phrase

: in a difficult, awkward, or unpleasant position
They were feuding and she didn't want to get caught in the middle.

Examples of in the middle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
OpenCode had been running its defense with an OpenAI model, which started to refuse its requests in the middle of the attack. — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026 For instance, identical stones thrown in a perfect circle onto the pond would create strong constructive interference when all the waves met in the middle of the circle. — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026 The duplicate-ballot error in Tulare last week quickly went viral in conservative social media circles, with claims that something nefarious was going on in the middle of a House battleground district. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026 McCarthy’s fresh devotion to reading and writing was like a cypress stump in the middle of a stream, impeding the easy flow of his social life. — Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for in the middle

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1928, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of in the middle was circa 1928

Rhymes for in the middle

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Browse Nearby Words

in the melting pot
in the middle
in the middle of
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Cite this Entry

“In the middle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20middle. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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