midterm

noun

mid·​term ˈmid-ˌtərm (usual for sense 1b) 

-ˈtərm

1

a

: the middle of an academic term

b

: an examination at midterm

2

: the approximate middle of a term of office

Examples of midterm in a Sentence

The students will be busy taking midterms next week.

He dropped the course before midterm.

assessing the President's performance at midterm

Recent Examples on the Web

Election Day 2025 may also give the United States some big hints about how next year’s midterms might go. —Philip Elliott, Time, 3 Nov. 2025

Looking toward the midterms Heading into 2026, many Americans continue to express deep dissatisfaction with their party’s establishment. —Jeff Harden, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2025

Voters will decide whether to pass Proposition 50, a ballot initiative redrawing California’s congressional districts to flip five House seats from Republican to Democratic in next year’s midterms. —Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2025

And with the 2026 midterms looming, some experts worry Guard troops could even be used as a tool of systemic voter suppression and intimidation. —Kat Lonsdorf, NPR, 3 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for midterm

• affirm
• bookworm
• confirm
• cutworm
• earthworm
• infirm
• tapeworm
• wireworm
• angiosperm
• echinoderm
• berm
• ferm