behalf
Americanidioms
-
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.
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”; be-, by, half
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.
Many of these “heritage Americans,” along with every other permutation of U.S. citizens, decided to fight back on behalf of their immigrant friends, neighbors and co-workers.
From Salon
In 2020, Ms Liew launched a civil lawsuit on behalf of herself and her missing husband against several top police officers, the Royal Malaysian Police and the Malaysian government.
From BBC
The Sikh Coalition and Asian Law Caucus filed the class-action lawsuit on behalf of five commercial driver’s license holders, challenging the DMV’s decision to revoke licenses.
From Los Angeles Times
U.S. prosecutors allege that Sim has engaged in money laundering and sanctions evasion on behalf of the Kim Jong Un regime.
“This was a real good remedy to make these boards work on behalf of the people.”
From Salon
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.
