behalf

[ bih-haf, -hahf ]

See synonyms for behalf on Thesaurus.com

Idioms about behalf

in / on behalf of, as a representative of or a proxy for: On behalf of my colleagues, I address you tonight.
in / on someone's behalf, in the interest or aid of (someone): He interceded in my behalf.

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

Words Nearby behalf

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use behalf in a sentence

“Basically, I was contacted and asked if an appeal could be opened on my behalf,” she told me from her home in Providence.
The Insurance Company Promised a Gender Reassignment. Then They Made a Mistake. | James Joiner | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Companies like Delta, Apple, and Nike flex their political muscle on behalf of gay rights.
Corporations Are No Longer Silent on LGBT Issues | | December 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Yet she spoke of his dignity in such an insane situation and when she touched on his pain she expressed her own on his behalf.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind | Brin-Jonathan Butler | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Please, Your Excellencies, consider my case with justice and intervene on my behalf.
An American Marine in Iran’s Prisons Goes on Hunger Strike | IranWire | December 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He co-authored the amicus brief filed on behalf of 23 pro-life groups.
The Supreme Court Case Uniting Pro-Lifers & Pro-Choicers | Emily Shire | December 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

England proclaimed a rough indignation at the demand for Gibraltar, which Austria had made in behalf of Spain.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter
Before I'd gone five miles the hoodoo that had been working overtime on my behalf got busy again.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
Above all else he did not want Winifred to know that solicitude in her behalf had drawn him from the path of duty.
The Red Year | Louis Tracy
He was indeed a faithful old servant; but he was quite ignorant of any memorial on his behalf having been sent to the Directors.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph Tatlow
These misfortunes culminated in an appeal to his countrymen for subscriptions on his behalf in the musical papers.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building | George Laing Miller

British Dictionary definitions for behalf

behalf

/ (bɪˈhɑːf) /

noun

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)

Origin of behalf

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

usage For behalf

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

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with behalf

behalf

see in behalf of.

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