midcourse

[ mid-kawrs ]

noun

1. the middle of a course, course of events, or course of action:

   Congress has already had cause to complain of the court's changing its interpretative rules in midcourse.

2. Rocketry. the portion of a ballistic trajectory between the end of powered flight and the beginning of the reentry phase.
3. Aerospace. the portion of a space trajectory between leaving the earth's vicinity and arrival at the desired destination, as another planet.

adjective

1. happening or done at some point during the journey of a ship, airplane, missile, or spacecraft:

   When the midcourse maneuver was attempted, one engine failed to ignite and caused the space vehicle to tumble.

2. happening or done in the middle of a course, course of events, or course of action:

   The company is conducting a rigorous midcourse assessment of the process itself.

Word History and Origins

Origin of midcourse¹

First recorded in 1555–65; mid- + course

Example Sentences

The CBS executives denied that the anchor swap represents a midcourse correction for the show.

From The Daily Beast

First, the address deals almost entirely with the global struggle with the Soviet Union, then in midcourse.

From The Daily Beast

Who would project a serial novel, after Thackeray and Dickens had each fallen in midcourse?

From Project Gutenberg