midst
/mɪdst/ (bre, ipa) · /mɪdst/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmidst ˈmitst/ (ame, mw)
midst — noun
1. the area or position that has people or objects on all sides of it, placing you
the area or position that has people or objects on all sides of it, placing you near the centre of that group
Aoi found herself in the midst of a cheering crowd at the concert.
in the midst of + [group noun] for physical location
The old wooden cabin stood in the midst of a dense pine forest.
in the midst of + [place noun] for surroundings
A stranger appeared suddenly in their midst and asked for directions.
Sirin felt completely at ease in the midst of her childhood friends.
Evelyn searched for her keys in the midst of papers and books on the desk.
文法句型
in the midst of [noun phrase]
in [possessive] midst
用法筆記
Frequently appears in fixed phrases like 'in the midst of' and 'in our/their midst'. The possessive form ('in our midst', 'in their midst') does not use a determiner after the possessive.
常見錯誤
2. the period when an event, activity, or situation is actively happening, often at
the period when an event, activity, or situation is actively happening, often at its busiest or most intense point
Hamza called me in the midst of a very important client presentation.
in the midst of + [activity noun] for ongoing event
The village was in the midst of celebrating its annual rice harvest festival.
In the midst of the political crisis, the prime minister called for calm.
Cole lost his wallet in the midst of packing for the overseas trip.
The research team is in the midst of analysing data from the two-year study.
文法句型
in the midst of [noun phrase describing activity]
midst — preposition
1. in a position that is surrounded by a particular group of people or things; used
in a position that is surrounded by a particular group of people or things; used especially in literary or formal writing as a shorter equivalent of 'in the midst of'
Nikhil found a familiar face midst the crowd of travellers at the station.
midst + [group noun] as a formal/literary preposition
A single white flower grew midst the weeds along the old stone wall.
The poet walked midst the autumn leaves, composing verses in his head.
There, midst the ancient ruins, the archaeologists uncovered a hidden tomb.
文法句型
midst [noun phrase]
用法筆記
This prepositional use is much rarer than the noun phrase 'in the midst of'. It is considered literary or archaic. Most native speakers would use 'among' or 'amid' in everyday speech.