Mid-term or midterm?
mid-term is an adjective meaning “Alternative form of midterm”; midterm is an adjective meaning “Halfway through a term, or roughly so”. mid-term is written with a hyphen and midterm as one word; they are used differently.
What is the difference between mid-term and midterm?
| mid-term | midterm | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | adjective, noun | adjective, noun |
| Meaning | Alternative form of midterm | Halfway through a term, or roughly so A midterm school exam (i.e., halfway through the term) A midterm election |
| Example | none recorded | The administration is suffering from the usual midterm drop in approval ratings |
| Pronunciation | not recorded | /ˈmɪdˌtɚm/ |
| In writing | not counted (the list counts single words) | 2.0 times per million words |
Sources: mid-term and midterm in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of mid-term and midterm
mid-term
- 1
Alternative form of midterm
- 2
Alternative form of midterm
midterm
- 1
Halfway through a term, or roughly so
The administration is suffering from the usual midterm drop in approval ratings
- 2
A midterm school exam (i.e., halfway through the term)
I only got a C on the midterm, so I really have to study for the final
- 3
A midterm election
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, mid-term or midterm?
mid-term is a phrase, which the list of single words does not count; midterm 2.0 times per million words.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).