Did you know?
Today, the word midriff is likely to evoke a plummy tummy or some fab abs, but the “mid-torso” sense of midriff is relatively young, having bellied up to the bar of English usage only in the early 19th century. For most of its history, midriff has been used to refer to the diaphragm, the large flat muscle that separates the lungs from the stomach area (and contracts spasmodically when we hiccup). This diaphragm sense has been around for at least 1,000 years, with the earliest known uses of midriff—which comes from the Old English word hrif, meaning “womb” or “belly”—being found in manuscripts such as Bald’s Leechbook, a medical text that is believed to date back to the mid 10th century. To riff on the vernacular of the 21st century, that kind of lexical staying power is far from mid.
Examples of midriff in a Sentence
Leah Dolan, CNN, 31 July 2024
The plunging neckline dress with a midriff cutout was styled by Jeremy Haynes.
—Essence, 26 July 2024
What to wear: Shirts with midriff covered, shorts or pants and closed-toed shoes.
—Ashley Mahoney, Axios, 9 July 2024
What to wear: Shirts with midriff covered, shorts or pants, and closed-toed shoes.
—Ashley Mahoney, Axios, 9 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for midriff 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'midriff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near midriff
Cite this Entry
“Midriff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/midriff. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
midriff
noun
Medical Definition
midriff
noun
Share