a silver or cupronickel coin of the U.S., equal to 50 cents.
a silver or nickel coin of Canada, equal to 50 cents.
First recorded in 1755–65
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
We would set them out on a table together: the Japanese 5-yen coins that had holes in the middle; a silver Australian half dollar with a kangaroo and an emu standing next to a shield.
From New York Times ● Jun. 15, 2021
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
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
The Walking Liberty half dollar hangs from his rearview mirror.
From "Fish in a Tree" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
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
In 1926, for the nation’s 150th birthday, President Calvin Coolidge was featured in a double-image with George Washington on a commemorative half-dollar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025
The half-dollar boost resulted from a 2016 law that mandated inflation-related adjustments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 3, 2023
The bees collected range in size from no bigger than the head of a pin to roughly the size of a half-dollar.
From Washington Times ● May 7, 2022
Big Ma doesn’t care if President Kennedy’s face is on the half-dollar or if the airport is now officially named after him.
From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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.
