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half a mind

Idioms  

  1. An inclination that is not definite or resolute. For example, I've half a mind to drop the course, or He went out with half a mind to walk all the way there. [First half of 1700s] Also see have a good mind to.

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.

Any movie lover with half a mind knows that the auteur theory is bunk.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

“I had half a mind to buy it—just for giggles,” Culkin told the audience at the Rosemont Theater in Illinois during a December 2024 appearance, according to the New York Times.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 2, 2026

As they walk through the Mexican capital, they admit to having half a mind to resettle here one day.

From BBC • Aug. 29, 2025

I had half a mind to reply to your email with my number so we could just talk through this mess on the phone.

From Slate • Aug. 28, 2019

Tyrion had half a mind to ask him if he knew “The Rains of Castamere.”

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

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.