Midst means the middle of something, especially a situation or event happening around you. When you're in the midst of a busy morning at school, you're right in the middle of all the activity: students rushing to lockers, teachers taking attendance, and announcements crackling over the speakers.

The word often appears in the phrase in the midst of, which means surrounded by or deeply involved in something. A firefighter working in the midst of a burning building is right there in the center of the danger and chaos. A family celebrating in the midst of friends and relatives is surrounded by people they care about.

You might hear someone say they made a discovery in their midst, meaning it was right there among them all along. If a teacher says “we have a talented artist in our midst,” she means that artist is part of the group, right there in the classroom.

The word carries a sense of being surrounded or immersed. When you're in the midst of something, you're inside it, experiencing it fully. When you're in the midst of reading an exciting book, you're so deep into the story that the world around you seems to disappear.