MIDDLE EAST Definition & Meaning

Middle East

[mid-l eest]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Also called Mideast.��(loosely) the area from Libya east to Afghanistan, usually including Egypt, Sudan, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the other countries of Arabia.
(formerly) the area including Iran, Afghanistan, India, Tibet, and Myanmar (Burma).

Middle East

noun

(loosely) the area around the E Mediterranean, esp Israel and the Arab countries from Turkey to North Africa and eastwards to Iran
(formerly) the area extending from the Tigris and Euphrates to Myanmar

Middle East

Region in western Asia and northeast Africa that includes the nations on the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt (see also Egypt), Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey.

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As the site of such ancient civilizations as Phoenicia, Babylon (see also Babylon), and Egypt, and the birthplace of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the Middle East is known as the cradle of Western civilization. The Greek Empire, Roman Empire, Persian Empire, and Ottoman Empire are among the great civilizations that developed and prospered in the Middle East.

A hotbed of religious and political strife (see Arab-Israeli conflict and Persian Gulf War), the Middle East attracted the attention of such powerful nations as Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union eager to protect their strategic interests at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and their access to precious oil reserves.

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Other 51�Թ� Forms

Middle Eastern adjective
Middle Easterner noun

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of Middle East¹

First recorded in 1875–80

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

That mission is the latest chapter in a 20-year saga over Iran’s nuclear program that has driven U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.

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When Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, officials in Russia described the current escalation in the Middle East as "alarming" and "dangerous."

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The jet movements come amid reports that the US has also moved an aircraft carrier - the USS Nimitz, from the South China Sea towards the Middle East.

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US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the "deployment of additional capabilities" to the Middle East to enhance the Pentagon's "defensive posture".

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Before Israel began its attacks, Iran had what the US described as the "largest ballistic missile arsenal" in the Middle East.

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middle ear Middle Eastern

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