caught in the middle

Idioms

Also, caught in the cross-fire. Between two opposing sides, as in The writers are often caught in the middle between editor and publisher, who are political opponents, or When parents don't get along, the children are often caught in the cross-fire. Long used in military situations, these terms began to be used figuratively in the second half of the 1800s.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“I’m standing right here!” exclaimed Handsome, who was still caught in the middle of the river.

From Literature

“For Brent, it was always a focus on people caught in the middle of conflicts,” says Craig Renaud.

From Los Angeles Times

For the handful of transgender California teens caught in the middle of the fight, it has all been deeply unnerving — if strangely motivating.

From Los Angeles Times

But he cautioned that court challenges take time — time in which “untold damage” can be done to erode public trust and to the officials caught in the middle.

From Salon

Companies like Hutchison with critical assets in Latin America—or those with infrastructure projects still in the planning phases—could get caught in the middle.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023