in the middle
idiom
: in a difficult or unpleasant position
She hated conflict and did not want to be put in the middle.
He was caught in the middle when his parents got divorced.
Examples of in the middle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Friday’s report arrived in the middle of a growing debate over city spending and what types of sacrifices will be needed to ensure that the city’s workforce is better compensated.
—
David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Some would be able to pivot to new objectives in the middle of a mission based on prior programming rather than a direct order.
—Frank Bajak, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024
Each student took home one of these dark blue marbles with a color swirl in the middle.
—Beth Lipoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2024
Finding yourself in the middle of a car accident is undeniably stressful and daunting, more so in a bustling place like California.
—Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
Popular on Variety There’s also early footage of Rather in the deep South, covering the Civil Rights Movement under constant danger, as well as the dramatic Vietnam War images of Rather dodging bullets while crouching and reporting in the middle of a gunfight.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
As the song's thumping beat progresses, Lipa lies in the middle of a pool as swimmers perform an eye-catching routine around her.
—Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
The state has labeled it a level 2 breach risk - a designation in the middle of the three-prong scale that means there is potential for dam failure.
—CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024
In Australia, Sydney is smack dab in the middle of the 2028 path, with 3 minutes and 49 seconds of totality.
—Maya Silver, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Apr. 2024
David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Some would be able to pivot to new objectives in the middle of a mission based on prior programming rather than a direct order.
—Frank Bajak, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024
Each student took home one of these dark blue marbles with a color swirl in the middle.
—Beth Lipoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2024
Finding yourself in the middle of a car accident is undeniably stressful and daunting, more so in a bustling place like California.
—Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
Popular on Variety There’s also early footage of Rather in the deep South, covering the Civil Rights Movement under constant danger, as well as the dramatic Vietnam War images of Rather dodging bullets while crouching and reporting in the middle of a gunfight.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
As the song's thumping beat progresses, Lipa lies in the middle of a pool as swimmers perform an eye-catching routine around her.
—Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
The state has labeled it a level 2 breach risk - a designation in the middle of the three-prong scale that means there is potential for dam failure.
—CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024
In Australia, Sydney is smack dab in the middle of the 2028 path, with 3 minutes and 49 seconds of totality.
—Maya Silver, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'in the middle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near in the middle
Cite this Entry
“In the middle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20middle. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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