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• half
  half

  noun

  one of two equal or approximately equal parts of a divisible whole, as an object, or unit of measure or time; a part of a whole equal or almost equal to the remainder.
• half-
  half-

  prefix

  one of two equal parts

half

American  

[haf] / hæf /

noun

• halves
  plural

1. one of two equal or approximately equal parts of a divisible whole, as an object, or unit of measure or time; a part of a whole equal or almost equal to the remainder.

2. a quantity or amount equal to such a part (½).

3. Sports. either of two equal periods of play, usually with an intermission or rest period separating them.

4. one of two; a part of a pair.

5. Informal.

   1. half dollar.

   2. the sum of 50 cents.

      Four dimes and two nickels make a half.

6. Baseball. either of the two units of play into which an inning is divided, the visiting team batting in the first unit and the home team batting in the second.

7. Football. a halfback.

8. British Informal.

   1. a half-crown coin.

   2. the sum of a half crown; two shillings, sixpence.

   3. a half pint.

      He ordered a half of ale.

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adjective

1. being one of two equal or approximately equal parts of a divisible whole.

   a half quart.

2. being half or about half of anything in degree, amount, length, etc..

   at half speed; half sleeve.

3. partial or incomplete.

   half measures.

adverb

1. in or to the extent or measure of half.

2. in part; partly; incompletely.

   half understood.

   Synonyms:

   partially, somewhat, barely

3. to some extent; almost.

   half recovered.

idioms

1. by half, by very much; by far.

   She was too talented by half for her routine role.

2. not half,

   1. not at all; not really.

      His first attempts at painting are not half bad.

   2. half.

3. half again as much / many, as much as 50 percent more.

   This mug holds half again as much coffee as the smaller one.

4. not the half of, a significant yet relatively minor part of something that remains to be described in full: Also not half of, not half.

   He accused them of being responsible for the error, and that's not the half of the story.

5. half in two, in or into two parts; in half.

   Cut the cake half in two.

6. in half, divided into halves.

   The vase broke in half.

half ¹ British  

/ hɑːf /

noun

1. 1. either of two equal or corresponding parts that together comprise a whole

   2. a quantity equalling such a part

      half a dozen

2. half a pint, esp of beer

3. a small drink of spirits, esp whisky

4. sport the half of the pitch regarded as belonging to one team

5. golf an equal score on a hole or round with an opponent

6. (in various games) either of two periods of play separated by an interval (the first half and second half )

7. a half-price ticket on a bus, train, etc

8. short for half-hour

9. short for halfpenny

10. sport short for halfback

11. obsolete a half-year period

12. humorous a person's wife or husband

13. by an excessive amount or to an excessive degree

    he's too arrogant by half

14. (used with a negative) without being thorough or exhaustive

    we don't do things by halves

15. 1. to share the expenses (of something with one other person)

    2. to share the whole amount (of something with another person)

       to go halves on an orange

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determiner

1. 1. being a half or approximately a half

      half the kingdom

   2. ( as pronoun; functioning as sing or plural )

      half of them came

adjective

1. not perfect or complete; partial

   he only did a half job on it

adverb

1. to the amount or extent of a half

2. to a great amount or extent

3. partially; to an extent

4. informal 30 minutes after two o'clock

5. to have the intention of

6. informal

   1. not in any way

      he's not half clever enough

   2. really; very; indeed

      he isn't half stupid

   3. certainly; yes, indeed

half- ² British  

prefix

1. one of two equal parts

   half-moon

2. related by one parent only

   half-sister

3. not completely; partly

   half-hardy

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half More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing half

• at half-mast
• better half
• by half
• glass is half full
• go halfway
• go off (half-cocked)
• halfway
• halves
• in half
• not bad (half bad)
• six of one, half dozen of the other
• time and a half
• with half an eye

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Grammar

See well ¹.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• halves
  plural

Etymology

Origin of half

before 900; Middle English; Old English h ( e ) alf; cognate with German Halb, Old Norse halfr, Gothic halbs

Explanation

When something is divided into two equal sections, half is one of the two parts. You can split a brownie in half if you want to share it with your friend. You might live half the year in Alaska and half in Florida — in this case, you spend six months, one half of a 12-month period, in each state. You can also divide food in half or save half your paycheck each week, while spending the other half. Your half brother is a sibling who shares one of your parents; you and he might have the same mother but different fathers. In Old English, half means "side" or "part."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

half half- halves

Now, “water levels are already half a foot to a foot above average” along much of the South American Pacific coast, Swain said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

On Tuesday afternoon, Scott, the CBP head, met with one group of local officials — hailing from West Texas to Del Rio — for an hour and a half.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026

Holographic, or handwritten, wills are legal in about half of the states in the U.S, including Texas, but it’s not worth writing a will on the cheap or downloading one from the internet.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026

Pulling HeyDude products out of the marketplace cost the company around $45 million in the second half of 2025, executives said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

One little piece would last him half a day.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

McAfee estimates the recall involved roughly 2,000 gallons of half- and quarter-gallon “cream top” whole milk products.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 27, 2024

Dual-flow toilets use half- and full-flush options to help you use water more efficiently when flushing liquid or solid waste.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 24, 2023

Despite studying alongside people from across the world, other students find my half- mumble the most difficult accent to understand.

From New York Times ● Dec. 30, 2022

Some were reconfiguring their businesses altogether to accommodate half- and quarter-cow purchases.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 27, 2022

It is no doubt the quiet of these surroundings that has enabled me to ponder all the more thoroughly these thoughts which have entered my mind over this past half- hour or so.

From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro

"She lived fully, fiercely and never did anything by halves," they added.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

The chart above shows that, much of the time, the two halves of this hedge tend to rise and fall together.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

A folding-phone concern for years has been the “crease”—where the inside display dips between the two halves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

She uses tweezers to nestle the roasted halves on a swirl of verdant puree, then tops it off with crispy fried leaves.

From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026

It felt strange, like there were two halves to his body.

From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Related Words

• partly