half step
noun
half step
Americannoun
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Music. semitone.
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Military. a step 15 inches (38 centimeters) long in quick time and 18 inches (46 centimeters) long in double time.
half-step
British
noun
Etymology
Origin of half step
First recorded in 1900–05
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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.
I’m a half step away from calling the animal communicator.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2024
During the man advantage, Nashville’s Colton Sissons had a half step on Seattle’s Eeli Tolvanen and Vince Dunn.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 12, 2023
This is a half step where a whole step is needed.
From Salon • Sep. 1, 2023
The ground tore up his bare feet, making “every little half step hurt.”
From Washington Post • Sep. 12, 2022
He’s a half step ahead of me, and I can’t catch up.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
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.
