halfway
Americanadverb
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to half the distance; to midpoint.
The rope reaches only halfway.
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almost; nearly; just about.
He halfway surrendered to their demands.
adjective
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midway, as between two places or points.
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going to or covering only half or part of the full extent.
halfway measures.
idioms
adverb
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at or to half the distance; at or to the middle
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in or of an incomplete manner or nature
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to compromise with
Etymology
Origin of halfway
First recorded in 1350–1400, halfway is from Middle English half wei. See half, way 1
Explanation
When you're halfway, you're at the middle point of something. If you pause to catch your breath halfway up a hill, you still have half the hill left to climb. You can make it halfway along a marathon route, or 13 miles, and you can also make it halfway through your book before you fall asleep. You might only make it halfway through an enormous slice of cake, or halfway through math class before you start to nod off. A halfway house, originally an inn between two cities, but today it's a place where released criminals or recovered addicts can live while they get back on their feet.
Vocabulary lists containing halfway
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At the halfway point of the 16-day festival, sales of nonalcoholic beer were up 4.5% from a year earlier.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
A moment of heightened perception comes halfway through the book when David becomes incontinent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Fly-half Charlie Atkinson, all clever kicks and keen eye for a gap, has looked the part since switching back into 10 from full-back halfway though last season.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
"We sang the US anthem until we reached halfway and then started singing the Canadian anthem," she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
There was twice, no, three times as much straw as before, all piled along the walls and halfway up to the ceiling.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
