behalf
Americanidioms
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in / on behalf of, as a representative of or a proxy for.
On behalf of my colleagues, I address you tonight.
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in / on someone's behalf, in the interest or aid of (someone).
He interceded in my behalf.
noun
Usage
On behalf of is sometimes wrongly used where on the part of is intended. The distinction is that on behalf of someone means `for someone's benefit' or `representing someone', while on the part of someone can be roughly paraphrased as `by someone'. So, the following example is incorrect: another act of apparent negligence, this time not on behalf of the company itself, but on behalf of its banker , when what was meant was there was negligence by the company's banker
Etymology
Origin of behalf
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; Middle English bihalve, earlier as adverb and preposition with the sense “near(by),” originally, as prepositional phrase bi halve “on one side”; see be-, by, half
Explanation
Behalf means speaking or acting for someone. A parent can sign forms on behalf of children when they are young, but adult children can sign on behalf of their aging parents. Some people make a distinction between the meaning of the word behalf when paired with in versus on. In behalf, they argue, is used when the meaning is in the interest of someone else, but on behalf is used when speaking for someone. For example, a medical decision would be made in behalf of the patient, and you would speak on behalf of your family. The reality is that on behalf is typically used for both meanings.
Vocabulary lists containing behalf
"My Favorite Chaperone," Vocabulary from the short story
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
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Richard Nixon's "Checkers" Speech (1952)
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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.
A team at law firm Leigh Day is now investigating potential legal claims on behalf of 50 families who believe their children may have been subjected to excessive or inappropriate disciplinary measures while at school.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
He declined to comment further on behalf of Mayweather.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, JPL built Curiosity and leads the mission on behalf of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington as part of the agency's Mars Exploration Program portfolio.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026
Pilgrim Fatemeh Moradi, 52, has been to the Arbaeen at least five times before, but said that this year is for "our martyred leader, on his behalf and on the behalf of all the martyrs".
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
Meanwhile, Suzuki and Bosnitch appealed to the courts on Bobby’s behalf for him to become a political refugee from the United States and be allowed to live in Japan.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
