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Midwest
[ mid-west ]
noun
- the north-central region of the United States, especially the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
adjective
Midwest
/ ˈmɪdˈwɛst /
noun
- the N central part of the US; the region consisting of the states from Ohio westwards that border on the Great Lakes, often extended to include the upper Mississippi and Missouri valleys
Other Words From
- Mid·west·ern·er noun
Example Sentences
He talked about the Dust Bowl and its reach throughout the Midwest, where we are both from.
Although the final vote totals will be fairly close, Trump won all seven key battleground states, and swept the "blue wall" across the Midwest.
We were in the Midwest, and we drove from across the country — through Omaha and across the Grand Canyon.
The Missouri-born singer is the favourite to win best new artist, thanks to her dazzling and flamboyant debut, The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess - which is also up for album of the year.
But with most of the polls closed, things look far better for Trump than Harris, whose final hopes lay in the blue states of the Midwest.
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More About Midwest
What does Midwest mean?
The Midwest is the northern central area of the mainland United States.
Generally, the boundaries of the Midwest are Canada to the north, the Rocky Mountains to the west, the southern borders of Missouri and Kansas to the south, and the Allegheny Mountains to the east. Sometimes the Midwest is thought of as extending to the eastern border of Illinois or Ohio.
The Midwest is one of the United States’ four official regions as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. Because the Census Bureau doesn’t divide states when defining regions, it sets Ohio as the Midwest’s eastern border. According to the Census, 12 states are located within the Midwest: Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota.
Americans themselves often differ in terms of which states they consider to be in the Midwest. Sometimes, states on the fringes, such as Ohio or North Dakota, aren’t considered to be a part of the Midwest.
Adjective forms of Midwest include Midwestern and Middle Western, but Midwest can also be used as an adjective, as in Midwest states. A person from the Midwest can be called a Midwesterner. Much less commonly, it’s called the Middle West.
Example: I always love to travel to the central United States to see the beautiful scenery of the Midwest.
Where does Midwest come from?
The first records of the term Midwest referring to the northern central area of the United States come from around the 1890s. The mid- in Midwest means “middle.” Although the Midwestern states are really in the northern central area of the country, the word west indicates their position in relation to the East Coast (the location of the original 13 U.S. colonies).
The term Midwest is often used in American media that focuses on geographic areas or that analyzes demographics. Especially during an election season, political analysts speculate and observe how the states in the Midwest are going to vote.
Many parts of the Midwest are rural, but it also has many urban and suburban areas. The region is especially known for having rich farmland.
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to Midwest?
- Midwestern (adjective)
- Midwesterner (noun)
What are some synonyms for Midwest?
- Middle West
- Middle Western (when Midwest is used as an adjective)
What are some words that share a root or word element with Midwest?
What are some words that often get used in discussing Midwest?
How is Midwest used in real life?
Americans use the term Midwest to refer to the north-central region of the country and the states located there. People often debate which states are located in the Midwest.
Has anyone in the Midwest turned their heat on yet?
— Possum (@Ladypossum) September 30, 2020
a lot of you didn’t grow up in the midwest and it shows
— Paige Blue (@paigenblue) September 25, 2020
We’ve entered the point of the year in the Midwest where you need a jacket to leave the house in the morning but you’ll be sweating with it on a few hours later
— Nick Roberts (@nickroberts317) September 20, 2020
Try using Midwest!
True or False?
The Midwest stretches from the border of Canada to the north to the border of Mexico to the south.
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