Meaning & use
midsection
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Meanings
nouncountableinformal
The middle area of the human body, around the stomach and waist.
Grammar: Usually singular with the or a possessive: her midsection.
Patterns
- strengthen your midsection
- a blow to the midsection
The boxer took a hard punch to the midsection.
Planks are a good way to strengthen the midsection.
He wrapped a scarf around his midsection.
nouncountable
The central part of an object, vehicle, or structure.
Grammar: Used for long objects like ships and planes.
Patterns
- the midsection of something
The ship's midsection was damaged by the storm.
Engineers inspected the plane's midsection for cracks.
The bridge sagged in its midsection.
nouncountablerare
The middle part of a text, performance, or process, between the start and end.
Grammar: Less common; usually the middle or middle section is used instead.
Patterns
- the midsection of the film
The film drags in its midsection.
The song's midsection features a guitar solo.
The report's midsection covers financial results.
Word forms
| plural | midsections |
|---|
Common combinations
- blow to the midsection
- A blow to the midsection knocked the wind out of him.
- strengthen the midsection
- Core exercises strengthen the midsection.
- expanding midsection
- He joked about his expanding midsection.
- midsection of the plane
- Passengers sat in the midsection of the plane.
- around the midsection
- Fat tends to collect around the midsection.
Synonyms and how they differ
- torso
- Torso means the whole body trunk without head and limbs, which is larger than the midsection.
- abdomen
- Abdomen is the medical word for the belly area, whereas midsection is casual.
- waist
- Waist is the narrow part around the middle, while midsection includes the stomach area as well.
- middle
- Middle is the general word for the central part, while midsection is mostly used for bodies and long objects.
Word family
Commonly confused: midsection or midriff?
midsection vs midriff
Midriff is the front area between chest and waist, often bare in clothes, while midsection covers the whole middle of the body.
Practice
Which sentence uses midsection in its main meaning?
Choose one answer.
Midsection mainly means the middle of the body, around the stomach and waist, which the boxer protects. The others use different mid- words.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “midsection”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.