Meaning & use
Mid-East
Last updated
Meaning
proper nounproperinformal
An informal, shortened name for the Middle East, the region around the eastern Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf.
Grammar: Usually written with a capital M and E and a hyphen; often used in headlines and informal speech.
Patterns
- in the Mid-East
- from the Mid-East
- Mid-East peace talks
She spent two years working as a journalist in the Mid-East.
The company has offices throughout the Mid-East, including Dubai and Cairo.
Mid-East politics often dominate the evening news.
Common combinations
- Mid-East peace process
- The Mid-East peace process has been stalled for months.
- Mid-East countries
- Several Mid-East countries are investing heavily in solar power.
- Mid-East studies
- He is taking a course in Mid-East studies at university.
- Mid-East conflict
- The documentary examines the roots of the Mid-East conflict.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Middle East
- This is the standard, formal term; use it in academic writing, news reports, and official documents instead of Mid-East.
- Near East
- An older term that sometimes refers to the same region but historically included the Balkans and parts of North Africa; it is now less common.
Commonly confused: Mid-East or Middle West?
Mid-East vs Middle West
This refers to the midwestern United States, not the Middle East. Do not confuse the two.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'Mid-East' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Mid-East is an informal name for the Middle East, so studying Arabic in Cairo fits. The other options describe unrelated things and do not match the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Mid-East”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.