halter

¹ American  

[hawl-ter] / ˈhɔl tər /

noun

1. a rope or strap with a noose or headstall for leading or restraining horses or cattle.

2. a rope with a noose for hanging criminals; the hangman's noose; gallows.

3. death by hanging.

4. Also called halter top.  a woman's top, secured behind the neck and across the back, leaving the arms, shoulders, upper back, and often the midriff bare.

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verb (used with object)

1. to put a halter on; restrain as by a halter.

2. to hang (a person).

adjective

1. (of a garment) having a neckline consisting of a cord, strap, band, or the like that is attached to or forms part of the front of a backless and sleeveless bodice and extends around the neck.

   a halter dress.

halter ² American  

[hal-ter] / ˈhæl tər /

noun

plural

halteres

1. one of a pair of slender, club-shaped appendages on the hindmost body segment of a fly, serving to maintain its balance in flight.

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halter ³ American  

[hawl-ter] / ˈhɔl tər /

noun

1. one who stops.

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halter ⁴ American  

[hawl-ter] / ˈhɔl tər /

noun

1. a person who halts, falters, or hesitates.

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halter British  

/ ˈhɔːltə /

noun

1. a rope or canvas headgear for a horse, usually with a rope for leading

2. Also called: halterneck.  a style of woman's top fastened behind the neck and waist, leaving the back and arms bare

3. a rope having a noose for hanging a person

4. death by hanging

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verb

1. to secure with a halter or put a halter on

2. to hang (someone)

Other Word Forms

• halterlike
  adjective
• unhaltered
  adjective
• unhaltering
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of halter¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English hælfter; cognate with German Halfter

Origin of halter²

First recorded in 1820–25; from New Latin, special use of Latin haltēr “handheld weight used in long jumps,” from Greek háltēr, derivative of hállesthai “to jump, leap,” akin to Latin salīre with the same meaning; see salient

Origin of halter³

halt ¹ + -er ¹

Origin of halter⁴

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; see origin at halt ², -er ¹

Explanation

A halter is a device that's put on animals to restrain, lead, or train them. Another type of halter is a sleeveless top that ties around the neck. Your dog might wear a halter that keeps her from pulling you down the street, and a farmer might put a halter on a cow before leading her into a milking stall. Another halter is a piece of clothing usually worn by a woman, a shirt that ties behind the neck and leaves the shoulders and arms bare. Originally, halter referred just to the tie that secures the top, but it came to mean the entire garment.

Example Sentences

Greg Halter, director of research at Carnegie Investment Counsel, thinks Amazon.com External link and TJMaxx parent company TJX could benefit from consumers’ value-centric mindset.

From Barron's • Nov. 26, 2025

“It’s really a cool thing to have a stand-alone pedestal tub in a beautiful room,” said Jason Halter, a principal of the Toronto-based design firm Wonder Incorporated.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 12, 2024

Emma Halter had 19 digs, her 11th straight game with double-figure digs.

From Washington Times • Dec. 15, 2023

Debbi Campbell, 70, a retired copywriter, met Loretta Halter, a retired manager from the Kroger grocery chain, in 2018 at a Czech cultural event in New York City.

From Washington Post • Feb. 25, 2022

But my teachers had always been card-carrying members of the Miles Halter Fan Club.

From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green

Related Words

• cord
• harness
• leash
• rope
• shackle