Meanings
nounmiddle finger (plural middle fingers)
plural middle fingers
- The finger between the forefinger and the ring finger.
Synonyms: fuck finger, long finger, medius, mid-finger, tall man
- An obscene gesture directed towards another as an insult, made by sticking up the middle finger of a hand.
An Indiana man argues in a federal lawsuit filed last week that he had a First Amendment right to give the middle finger to a state trooper, and that his free speech was violated when the gesture earned him a ticket.
2018 February 4, Jason Silverstein, “Giving Middle Finger to Police Is a First Amendment Right, Man Argues in Lawsuit Over Ticket”, in NewsweekSynonyms: the finger, dirty finger
- figurativelyAn insult directed at someone.
Her whole way of being is a big middle finger to the other guy.
2007, Dominique Paul, The Possibility of Fireflies, page 621 more example
Beem called the tactic [paying US$23500 settlement in coins] "petty and a grand waste of time" and said the coin delivery was "a symbolic middle finger."
2023 October 24, “Colorado judge says company acted "maliciously and in bad faith" in coin stunt”, in CBS News
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe finger between the forefinger and the ring finger.
nounAn obscene gesture directed towards another as an insult, made by sticking up the middle finger of a hand.
Similar
Broader
Origin
- Middle Englishmyddel fynger
- Englishmiddle finger
From Middle English myddel fynger. By surface analysis, middle + finger.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek σφάκελος
- σφάκελος (sphákelos)finger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Arabic وُسْطَى
- وُسْطَى (wusṭā)finger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Basque hatz erdiko
- hatz erdikofinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Bulgarian сре́ден пръст
- сре́ден пръст (sréden prăst)finger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Catalan dit del mig, dit del cor
- dit del migfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- dit del corfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- dit mitgerfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Chinese Cantonese 中指
- 中指 (zung¹ zi²)finger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Chinese Mandarin 中指, 三指
- 中指 (zhōngzhǐ)finger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- 三指 (sānzhǐ)finger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- 將指 /将指 (jiàngzhǐ)finger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- 玉柱 (yùzhù)finger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- 中指 (zhōngzhǐ)obscene gesture
Czech prostředník, prostředníček
- prostředníkfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- prostředníčekfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Danish langfinger, langemand
- langfingerfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- langemandfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Dutch middelvinger, middelvinger
- middelvingerfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- middelvingerobscene gesture
Esperanto longa fingro, meza fingro
- longa fingrofinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- meza fingrofinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- mezfingrofinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Estonian keskmine sõrm
- keskmine sõrmfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Finnish keskisormi, keskari
- keskisormifinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- keskarifinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- keskisormiobscene gesture
- keskisormifiguratively: insult
French majeur, doigt du milieu
- majeurfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- doigt du milieufinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- médiusfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- doigt IIIfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- troisième doigtfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- doigt d'honneurobscene gesture
German Mittelfinger, Stinkefinger
- Mittelfingerfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- Stinkefingerobscene gesture
Greek μέσος, κωλοδάχτυλο
- μέσος (mésos)finger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- κωλοδάχτυλο (kolodáchtylo)obscene gesture
Hebrew אַמָּה, צְרֵדָה
- אַמָּה ('amá)finger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- צְרֵדָה (tzredá)finger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Hindi मध्यमा
- मध्यमा (madhyamā)finger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Hungarian középső ujj
- középső ujjfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Icelandic langatöng
- langatöngfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Indonesian jari tengah, jari hantu
- jari tengahfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- jari hantufinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- jari malangfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- jari matifinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- jari panjangfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Irish méar mheáin
- méar mheáinfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Italian medio, dito medio
- mediofinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- dito mediofinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Japanese 中指, ファックサイン
- 中指 (nakayubi)finger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- ファックサイン (fakku sain)obscene gesture
Korean 중지, 가운뎃손가락
- 중지 (jungji)finger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- 가운뎃손가락 (gaundetson'garak)finger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Latin digitus medius, digitus tertius
- digitus mediusfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- digitus tertiusfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Malay jari hantu, jari tengah
- jari hantufinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- jari tengahfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- jari malangfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- jari matifinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- jari panjangfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Māori tōroa, māpere
- tōroafinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- māperefinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Norwegian Bokmål langfinger
- langfingerfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Polish środkowy palec, palec środkowy
- środkowy palecfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- palec środkowyfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Portuguese dedo médio, dedo do meio
- dedo médiofinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- dedo do meioobscene gesture
Romanian deget mijlociu
- deget mijlociufinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Russian сре́дний па́лец, фак
- сре́дний па́лец (srédnij pálec)finger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- фак (fak)obscene gesture
Scottish Gaelic gunna fada, fionna-fada
- gunna fadafinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- fionna-fadafinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- Fionnlagh fadafinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- Màiri fhadafinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- meur fadafinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- meuragaidh fadafinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- corrag-mheadhainfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- meur meadhainfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- fìgisobscene gesture
Slovak prostredník
- prostredníkfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Spanish dedo de en medio, dedo del corazón
- dedo de en mediofinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- dedo del corazónfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- el dedofinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- dedo cordialfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- dedo corazónfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- dedo mediofinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- peinetaobscene gesture
- corte de mangaobscene gesture
Swahili kidole cha kati
- kidole cha katifinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Swedish långfinger, peka finger
- långfingerfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- peka fingerobscene gesture
Tagalog hinlalato, hinggigitna
- hinlalatofinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- hinggigitnafinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Tamil நடுவிரல்
- நடுவிரல் (naṭuviral)finger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Thai นิ้วกลาง
- นิ้วกลาง (níu-glaang)finger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Turkish orta parmak
- orta parmakfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Ukrainian сере́дній па́лець
- сере́дній па́лець (serédnij pálecʹ)finger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Vietnamese ngón giữa, ngón tay giữa
- ngón giữafinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- ngón tay giữafinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Welsh bys canol, hirfys
- bys canolfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- hirfysfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
- canolfysfinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Zulu uphakathi
- uphakathifinger between the forefinger and the ring finger
Cite this entry
APA
middle finger. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/middle%20finger
MLA
“middle finger.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/middle%20finger. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “middle finger,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/middle%20finger.
Source: middle finger on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.