middle finger

[ mid-l fing-ger ]

noun

1. the finger between the forefinger and the third finger.
2. Slang. an obscene gesture of contempt made by pointing this finger upward while folding the other fingers against the palm; the finger: finger ( def 18 ).

   The driver honked his horn and got the middle finger from the biker.

Word History and Origins

Origin of middle finger¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English

Example Sentences

Upton raised a middle finger to the cell camera.

From Los Angeles Times

One company printed an image of a raised middle finger on a product with the text: “Here’s your serial number.”

From Slate

“Joker: Folie à Deux” seems designed as a middle finger to those who enjoyed the anarchy of the original, Times columnist Glenn Whipp notes in his newsletter.

From Los Angeles Times

One ghost gun seller actually put an image on the receiver—the core component of an AR-15—that had an image of a hand with a middle finger up.

From Slate

And in recent weeks, as he has continued to battle a broken right middle finger he suffered in August, the left-handed hitter had been visibly frustrated with his swing, batting just .241 with five extra-base hits in his past 15 games.

From Los Angeles Times