half dollar
noun
a silver or cupronickel coin of the U.S., equal to 50 cents.
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half dollar
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half-dollar
half-dollarnoun(in the US) a 50-cent piece
half dollar
Americannoun
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a silver or cupronickel coin of the U.S., equal to 50 cents.
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a silver or nickel coin of Canada, equal to 50 cents.
half-dollar
British
noun
Etymology
Origin of half dollar
First recorded in 1755–65
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.
See Examples For:
Targets are as small as a half dollar, and missed shots can earn penalty loops that add to a competitor’s distance skied.
From New York Times ● Feb. 11, 2022
The rare half dollar has been off the market since the 1980s.
From Fox News ● Nov. 13, 2019
In the walk-in fridge at Regalis, he pulls out a carefully vacuum-sealed bag of Périgord truffles, Tuber melanosporum, rough black orbs the diameter of a half dollar.
From The New Yorker ● Feb. 21, 2017
The slain president's profile debuted on the half dollar 50 years ago, and the image was subtly tweaked in the 1990s.
From US News ● Jul. 24, 2014
That would leave the mouse with a half dollar, a quarter, a dime, a nickel, and three cents.
From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden
A half-dollar that was issued to commemorate America's 150th anniversary in 1926 featured then-President Calvin Coolidge.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
The only previous such instance in the country’s history was a 1926 commemorative half-dollar showing then-President Calvin Coolidge alongside George Washington.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
The Mint also released special 2026 versions of the dime, nickel and half-dollar on Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025
A pack of four AirTag tracking devices cost $80 and are about the size of a half-dollar coin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2024
In due course, however, as the black circular mass around each errant—and by now dried-up—sugarwater splash grew to the size of a half-dollar, the volunteer bestirred himself into action.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
