half term

British

noun

education
1. a short holiday midway through an academic term
2. ( as modifier )
  
  a half-term holiday

"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

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.

Jet2 told the BBC it would take more people away this February half term than last year, as people were flying to southern Europe to escape the UK's bad weather.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

Julia Lo Bue-Said advised people to come prepared for long waits over the February half term and beyond.

From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026

"I don't think I could consider working somewhere that didn't have the two-week half term now, just because it has such an impact on my wellbeing," he says.

From BBC • Oct. 17, 2025

SCC carried out a survey and also asked schools for feedback on the plan for a two week half term in the autumn term.

From BBC • Jul. 14, 2025

I’m about to tell her about the maths test I aced just before half term and the book we’ve just started in English, when she carries on.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023