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”; 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.
Susan Moore, 80 years old, said she was protesting in St. Paul on behalf of her children and grandchildren.
The lawsuit, brought on behalf of a "Jane Doe", cites a record of "incredibly alarming and erratic banking behavior" in her own Bank of America accounts, which were used by Epstein's team.
From BBC
Attorneys have also filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of all the women involved in the incident, which is scheduled to go to mediation in May, he said.
From Los Angeles Times
Shares of Burford Capital, the litigation financier which had taken on a lawsuit on behalf of the investors, were down 36% on Friday in New York.
In a debate, Lord Roberts said "these two noble Lords undertake totally different roles on behalf of the Crown and state from any other of the hereditary peers".
From BBC
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.
