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

Early voting in the midterm primaries starts Monday in Georgia, and voters were given a chance to see all the Republican hopefuls on one stage at the Atlanta Press Club debates Sunday. —Irene Wright, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026

The first midterm after a president is elected is often bad for the party that controls the White House. —Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026

The Iranians know that the upcoming midterm elections limit Trump’s ability to withstand the political blowback from the war. —Nick Akerman, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2026

That these staffing changes and scandals involve figures from such disparate parts of the Administration, and are coming just months ahead of the midterm elections, suggests a more generalized crisis. —Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026

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