midstream

See also: mid-stream

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *me

Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-?

Proto-Indo-European *-dʰe

Proto-Indo-European *médʰi

Proto-Indo-European *-os

Proto-Indo-European *médʰyos

Proto-Germanic *midjaz

Proto-West Germanic *midi

Old English midd

Middle English mid

English mid

English mid-

Proto-Indo-European *ser-der.?

Proto-Indo-European *srew-der.

Proto-Indo-European *srow-mo-s

Proto-Germanic *straumaz

Proto-West Germanic *straum

Old English strēam

Middle English strem

English stream

English midstream

From mid- + stream.

Noun

midstream (usually uncountable, plural midstreams)

1. The middle of a stream or river.

Derived terms

• change horses in midstream
• swap horses in midstream

Adverb

midstream (not comparable)

1. in midstream

   moored midstream

   some of them got caught midstream by the tide

2. (figurative) in midstream, abruptly

   the most difficult thing in a fast game of rugby is to change course midstream

   • 2018 January 19, Matt Katz, “Leaving Africa, and Living in Limbo”, in The New York Times‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 18 January 2026:

     But it was in the middle of this process that he had met Ms. Lukoji, and he opted not to change his application midstream to take his marriage into account.

   • 2020 November 19, Natasha Frost, “Covid-19, Boris Johnson, U.S. Troops: Your Thursday Briefing”, in The New York Times‎^[2], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 20 July 2023:

     Unlike film, theater and TV, the book world didn’t get interrupted midstream.