midst

¹

[ midst ]

noun

1. the position of anything surrounded by other things or parts, or occurring in the middle of a period of time, course of action, etc.:

   a familiar face in the midst of the crowd;

   in the midst of the performance.

   Synonyms: heart, core, thick

   Antonyms: periphery, edge

2. the middle point, part, or stage:

   We arrived in the midst of a storm.

   Synonyms: heart, core, thick

   Antonyms: periphery, edge

midst

²

[ midst ]

preposition

1. amidst.

midst

¹

/ mɪdst /

preposition

1. poetic.
   See amid

midst

²

/ mɪdst /

noun

1. in the midst of
   surrounded or enveloped by; at a point during, esp a climactic one
2. in our midst
   among us
3. archaic.
   the centre

Word History and Origins

Origin of midst¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, equivalent to middes (aphetic variant of amiddes “in the middle”) + excrescent -t; amidst

Word History and Origins

Origin of midst¹

C14: back formation from amiddes amid

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in our / your / their midst, in the midst of or among us (you, them):

   To think there was a spy in our midst!

Synonym Study

See middle.

Example Sentences

Jordan was born in the midst of the team’s second-half turnaround that resulted in a 10-7 record and a playoff berth.

From Los Angeles Times

In 1947, as India prepared for its first cricket tour of Australia, the nation was in the midst of unprecedented upheaval.

From BBC

In a video posted to his LinkedIn profile last year, he said: “There is no climate crisis, and we're not in the midst of an energy transition either.”

From BBC

In the midst of despair the local population are understandably searching for beacons of hope, for example the remarkable story of what happened at the Whitby English language school.

From BBC

The New Jersey’s band first of five sold-out shows at the Forum marked a long-awaited return in the midst of an emo revival of sorts.

From Los Angeles Times