half-hour

[haf-ouuh r, -ou-er, hahf-]

See more synonyms for half-hour on Thesaurus.com

noun

a period of 30 minutes.
the midpoint between the hours: The clock struck on the half-hour.

adjective

of, relating to, or consisting of a half-hour: half-hour programs.

Origin of half-hour

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for half-hour

Contemporary Examples

As an election tactic, it was a Hail-Mary move: a half-hour address by an aging actor of no political standing or constituency.
Remembering Reagan’s Defining Speech
Stuart Stevens
October 27, 2014
The ferries run every half-hour to the Russian mainland, but they take only a few dozen cars on each trip.
Crimea: A Patriotic Russian Vacation From Hell
Anna Nemtsova
August 20, 2014
He would spend at least a half-hour being decontaminated afterward.
‘He Could Have Brought Ebola Here’: Minnesota Widow on Her Husband
Michael Daly
July 30, 2014
A year earlier the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite and The Huntley-Brinkley Report on NBC had expanded to a half-hour.
Lyndon Johnson’s Last Miracle: The Civil Rights Act Turns 50
Nicolaus Mills
July 2, 2014
McMinnville, Tennessee is less than a half-hour from “the farm” where the annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival takes place.
Tennessee Not Impressed By Bonnaroo
Daniel G. Hill
June 13, 2014

Historical Examples

She had slept, perhaps, a half-hour, when Fannie awakened her.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
After I've gone, I want you to stay up for a half-hour anyhow, with the lights burning.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
It seemed that a half-hour's easy walk should take them to the foothills.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
You see me in the plight in which I came out of the packet within this half-hour.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
The church clock struck the half-hour as he turned into the wood.
The Incomplete Amorist
E. Nesbit

British Dictionary definitions for half-hour

half-hour

noun

1. a period of 30 minutes
2. (as modifier)a half-hour stint on the treadmill
1. the point of time 30 minutes after the beginning of an hour
2. (as modifier)a half-hour chime

Derived Formshalf-hourly, adverb, adjective

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

Word Origin and History for half-hour

early 15c., from half + hour. Related: Half-hourly.

half-hour

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}half-hour

Examples from the Web for half-hour

Contemporary Examples

As an election tactic, it was a Hail-Mary move: a half-hour address by an aging actor of no political standing or constituency.

The ferries run every half-hour to the Russian mainland, but they take only a few dozen cars on each trip.

He would spend at least a half-hour being decontaminated afterward.

A year earlier the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite and The Huntley-Brinkley Report on NBC had expanded to a half-hour.

McMinnville, Tennessee is less than a half-hour from “the farm” where the annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival takes place.

Historical Examples

She had slept, perhaps, a half-hour, when Fannie awakened her.

After I've gone, I want you to stay up for a half-hour anyhow, with the lights burning.

It seemed that a half-hour's easy walk should take them to the foothills.

You see me in the plight in which I came out of the packet within this half-hour.

The church clock struck the half-hour as he turned into the wood.

half-hour

Word Origin and History for half-hour

Origin of half-hour