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half dollar

American  

noun

  1. a silver or cupronickel coin of the U.S., equal to 50 cents.

  2. a silver or nickel coin of Canada, equal to 50 cents.


half-dollar British  

noun

  1. (in the US) a 50-cent piece

"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

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.

The 1838-O Capped Bust half dollar is one of only nine that are known to exist, according to auction house Stack’s Bowers Galleries.

From Fox News • Nov. 13, 2019

Imagine taking a year trying to make something the size of a half dollar.

From New York Times • Jul. 11, 2017

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

In order that Tucker could keep at least one of each kind of coin, Harry Cat figured out that they should bring over one half dollar, four quarters, one dime, five nickels, and fifteen cents.

From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden