half-mast

[ haf-mast, hahf-mahst ]

noun
  1. a position approximately halfway between the top of a mast, staff, etc., and its base.

verb (used with object)
  1. to place (a flag) at half-mast, as a mark of respect for the dead or as a signal of distress.

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Origin of half-mast

1
First recorded in 1620–30

Words Nearby half-mast

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use half-mast in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for half-mast

half-mast

noun
  1. the lower than normal position to which a flag is lowered on a mast as a sign of mourning or distress

verb
  1. (tr) to put (a flag) in this position

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012