behalf

[bih-haf, -hahf]

behalf

/ bɪˈhɑːf /

noun

1. interest, part, benefit, or respect (only in the phrases on ( someone's ) behalf , on or US and Canadian in behalf of , in this ( or that ) behalf )

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of behalf¹

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”; be-, by, half

Word History and Origins

Origin of behalf¹

Old English be halfe from be by + halfe side; compare Old Norse af halfu

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in / on behalf of, as a representative of or a proxy for.

   On behalf of my colleagues, I address you tonight.

2. in / on someone's behalf, in the interest or aid of (someone).

   He interceded in my behalf.

see in behalf of.

Example Sentences

On the day AFP visited, 38-year-old Michael was at the reception desk, making enquiries on behalf of his partner.

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And audiences are hungry for media that doesn’t simply reflect power back to itself, but challenges it on behalf of those who are most at risk.

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The issue, as explained by Craig Holman, who filed multiple Hatch Act complaints against members of the administration on behalf of Public Citizen, is that the law doesn’t enforce itself.

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It has filed more than 800 complaints in various jurisdictions on behalf of internet users.

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In response to such outsize losses, Newsom signed Assembly Bill 226, which will enable the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank to issue bonds on behalf of the plan to pay for catastrophic claims.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• favor 
• side