half-inch

American  

[haf-inch, hahf-] / ˈhæfˈɪntʃ, ˈhɑf- /

noun

1. a half of an inch, equal to 1/24 of a foot (1.27 centimeters).

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half-inch British  

noun

1. a measure of length approximately equivalent to 13 millimetres

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verb

1. slang to steal

Etymology

Origin of half-inch

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

And they will finish the flooring, which must be seamless between modules beyond the project’s half-inch tolerance.

From Slate • Sep. 9, 2025

County could amount to a quarter-inch Saturday, with around a half-inch in the mountains, she said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2025

We were working with open reel, half-inch black and white video tape and in the first year no editing facility at all.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2025

Less than an inch of rain fell across Southern California in the last week, though most areas recorded less than a half-inch.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 27, 2024

It was the ringing of tiny tennis rackets against tiny snow skis, of miniature Eiffel Towers against half-inch ballerinas on point.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides