Mid

On TikTok, Twitter, and other social media platforms, mid means "middling" or "mediocre." This adjective is used to describe disappointing people, movies, TV shows, and food, as well as other below-average items.

What is the origin of mid?

While mid has been used to mean "mediocre" since at least 2020, the term began trending on TikTok in late 2021, after being used by All Elite Wrestling (AEW) wrestler Maxwell Friedman. At an AEW taping in Cincinnati, Friedman said "it's called the Midwest because every single thing in it is mid." Friedman then went on to denigrate Midwestern food, sports teams, and people. AEW's TikTok account posted this soundbite, and from there, mid went viral.

What is the difference between mid and dece?

While mid and dece are both used to describe items that are near average, mid is used to describe items that are below average, while dece is used to describe items that are (at least slightly) above average. Thus, while mid carries negative connotations, dece carries positive connotations.

Mid is a gaming term used in MOBA style games such as League of Legends (LOL) and Defense of the Ancients (DOTA). It refers to the middle lane on a map, which the players may try to "push" in order to destroy enemy towers and gain map control.

The LOL and DOTA map consists of a top, mid, and bottom lane with jungle area in between the top-mid lanes and mid-bottom lanes. The champions that play in the jungle area are called junglers. The mid lane is usually played by champions with good ability power (AP).

People often use mid as shorthand for "in the middle of." For example, if a friend tells you they are "mid-dinner," it means they are in the middle of eating dinner.

In some cases, people may instead use mid as an abbreviation for the word middle. For example, a friend may say their apartment is the "mid door," meaning the middle door.