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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Notes

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

Middle Eastern adjective noun
Middle Easterner noun

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of Middle East¹

First recorded in 1875–80

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Compare Meanings

How does Middle East compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Near East vs. Middle East

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

When news about Alhurra filtered out — along with talk that even MBN might shut down — many observers saw it as an own goal, a misguided rollback of U.S. soft power in the Middle East.

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There are no direct flights from Pakistan to Mauritania, so some of the migrants transited through Ethiopia or the Middle East.

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"We now sell mostly to South America and the Middle East. We are not lacking money, we are rich."

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Current conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East show these laws and treaties still aren’t effective.

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And what about the horses coming from Japan and the Middle East?

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middle ear Middle Eastern

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