middles

noun

plural of middle
1
as in means
a middle point between extremes his salary is exactly at the middle of the company's pay scale

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in centers
an area or point that is an equal distance from all points along an edge or outer surface put the serving dish in the middle of the table

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in waists
the middle region of the human torso clutched the football tightly against her middle

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in midsts
the most intense or characteristic phase of something I'm right in the middle of a tax audit, so can you come back later?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of middles House flies are about 1/4 inch long with four dark stripes down their middles. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 27 June 2026 Point Loma’s middles dominated, with 6-foot-5 Trevor Rutt and 6-4 Waylon Lundeen taking advantage of the undersized Cardinals. — Tim Meehan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2026 Senior middles Cooper Riedl and Aiden Schindler added three kills apiece for the Knights (7-1). — Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026 The Warriors and Lancers finished as co-champions last season, so middles Jocund Binder and Alman Hassan will look to be part of the winning recipe for an outright title in 2026. — Justin Vigil Zuniga, Daily News, 5 Mar. 2026 Both stories have been condensed to their main scenes and songs but still contain full stories with beginnings, middles and ends. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Jan. 2026 Then, a quick stint under the broiler crisps the edges, creating that irresistible combo of golden, crunchy exteriors and tender, middles. — Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Jan. 2026 The middles seem strong Peter Skoronski, Lloyd Cushenberry III and Kevin Zeitler make up a solid trio in the middle of the offense. — Nick Suss, The Tennessean, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for middles
  1. means
  2. centers
  3. waists
  4. depths
  5. midpoints
  6. heights
  7. norms
  8. standards
Noun
  • With an international wedding on the horizon, old friendships are tested, relationships evolve, and everyone is forced to confront what growing up really means.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 31 July 2026
  • Many of her events cost $15 or less, and Torres offers discounts or other financial support for women who want to attend but don’t have the financial means to.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of means
Noun
  • Their traditional decor centers around darker fabrics and pale wall coverings.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The transitional kindergarten growth has siphoned more lucrative 4-year-olds from their sites — as babies and toddlers require higher staff ratios and more intense care — putting even more centers at risk of closing, research showed.
    — Kate Sequeira, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of centers
Noun
  • Beyond fit, high-rise waists, cropped lengths, and streamlined silhouettes can also create a longer, more balanced look.
    — Malia Griggs, Glamour, 21 July 2026
  • In photos obtained by TMZ, Holmes and artist Jason Bard Yarmosky wrapped their arms around each other’s waists, while another snapshot showed Yarmosky opening a car door for her.
    — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 15 July 2026
Definition of waists
Noun
  • Now, for those of you who might not know, freedivers train to be able to descend to significant depths without external breathing equipment.
    — Bill Springer, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Director Tasha Van Zandt went to great lengths to make her documentary A Life Illuminated – and to enormous depths.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of depths
Noun
  • The rail mounts on the frame can be locked at several different heights, while the mat’s rail is fixed at the midpoints of its left and right edges.
    — PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025
Definition of midpoints
Noun
  • Look for a variety of heights and hues depending on the cultivar.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 3 Aug. 2026
  • At a cost of approximately $8,600 to $23,100 per person (depending on the package), the 2026 edition covers Milan to Barcelona from September 3 through 6 while taking the rally to new heights.
    — Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of heights
Noun
  • While inflation remains volatile across countries, influencing cautious planning, salary increases are relatively high compared to pre-pandemic norms.
    — John M. Bremen, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • The show was inspired by a real-life military program called Team Lioness, which added women soldiers to combat units, deploying them to Iraq in 2003—at a time when cultural norms prevented male soldiers from interacting directly with Muslim women.
    — Kenneal Patterson, Vanity Fair, 30 July 2026
Definition of norms
Noun
  • The Pisces Moon in your 7th House of Partnership opposes Venus in Virgo, making another person’s needs hard to ignore while your own standards get louder.
    — Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Meanwhile, the city will work on outreach to get vacant properties registered while putting together a guide explaining what the standards are for owners.
    — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of standards

Browse Nearby Words

middlers
middles
middle school
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Middles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/middles. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on middles

Nglish: Translation of middles for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of invidious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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

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

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
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
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All