midfield

noun

mid·​field ˈmid-ˌfēld How to pronounce midfield (audio)
ˌmid-ˈfēld
1
: the middle portion of a field
especially : the portion of a playing field (as in football) that is midway between goals
2
: the players on a team (as in lacrosse or soccer) that normally play in the midfield

Examples of midfield in a Sentence

The team captains shook hands at midfield. The ball went out of bounds near midfield. They have a talented midfield this year.
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.
Then, Keona Davis was hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct call after the play that resulted in a mild brouhaha near midfield. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026 Tielemans has gone from being the furthest on the ball midfield player to being a holding midfielder with expectations to be excellent out of possession. — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026 Atiqullah remained at midfield, oblivious, the blanket over his head. — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026 Players were milling around midfield, exchanging jerseys and making small talk when Chubb appeared to say something to Jackson, who was chatting with another Bills player. — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for midfield

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of midfield was in the 15th century

Rhymes for midfield

See All Rhymes for midfield

Browse Nearby Words

midfeather
midfield
midfielder
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Midfield.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/midfield. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All