1
: dunghill
2
a
: a refuse heap
especially
: kitchen midden
b
: a small pile (as of seeds, bones, or leaves) gathered by a rodent (such as a pack rat)
Examples of midden in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Although the bones of fish, cattle, sheep and pig were pulled out of the middens (halos of garbage dumped from the huts above), there was no evidence of human casualties.
—
Franz Lidz, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024
The land has been largely untouched for centuries — the Mocama and the Guale tribes had a presence on neighboring St. Simons Island, and while there is little information about Indigenous groups on Little St. Simons, shell middens suggest there was travel between the two.
—Gisela Williams, Travel + Leisure, 16 Oct. 2023
The restroom is around the corner, reached by walking past the mosquito-breeding experiment that is a midden of old tires.
—John Kelly, Washington Post, 26 July 2023
Additional evidence, like shell middens that bore evidence of having been eroded by strong currents, hinted at a potential paleotsunami.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for midden 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Franz Lidz, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024
The land has been largely untouched for centuries — the Mocama and the Guale tribes had a presence on neighboring St. Simons Island, and while there is little information about Indigenous groups on Little St. Simons, shell middens suggest there was travel between the two.
—Gisela Williams, Travel + Leisure, 16 Oct. 2023
The restroom is around the corner, reached by walking past the mosquito-breeding experiment that is a midden of old tires.
—John Kelly, Washington Post, 26 July 2023
Additional evidence, like shell middens that bore evidence of having been eroded by strong currents, hinted at a potential paleotsunami.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for midden
Dictionary Entries Near midden
Cite this Entry
“Midden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/midden. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
midden
noun
mid·den
ˈmid-ᵊn 
: a refuse heap
especially
: a mound (as of shells and bones) marking the place where prehistoric humans once lived
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share