half-mast

[ haf-mast, hahf-mahst ]

/ ˈhæfˈmæst, ˈhɑfˈmɑst /

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noun

a position approximately halfway between the top of a mast, staff, etc., and its base.

verb (used with object)

to place (a flag) at half-mast, as a mark of respect for the dead or as a signal of distress.

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Origin of half-mast

First recorded in 1620–30

Words nearby half-mast

half-line, half-liter, half-long, half-mad, half-marathon, half-mast, half measure, half-mile, half-miler, half-minute, halfmoon

How to use half-mast in a sentence

Eric Garcetti succeeded Villaraigosa and has received high marks in his first year and a half on the job.
The Golden State Preps for the ‘Red Wedding’ of Senate Races|David Freedlander|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
My dad was a sailor, and all through my childhood he was away half of the time at sea, and to an extent I have a similar job.
Belle & Sebastian Aren’t So Shy Anymore|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As a result, training squadrons—called Formal Training Units (FTU)—are being staffed with less than half the people they need.
Exclusive: U.S. Drone Fleet at ‘Breaking Point,’ Air Force Says|Dave Majumdar|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Travel Noire fellows earned about a half million travel miles in 2014.
‘We Out Here’: Inside the New Black Travel Movement|Charlise Ferguson|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Murders in the City of Angels have fallen by about half in the last 10 years: no small feat for such a big city.
America’s 2014 Murder Capital|Brandy Zadrozny|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It is the principal waste-product of metabolism, and constitutes about one-half of all the solids excreted—about 30 gm.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
A small book, bound in full purple calf, lay half hidden in a nest of fine tissue paper on the dressing-table.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
Hilda, trembling at the door, more than half expected Mr. Orgreave to say: "You mean, she's invited herself."
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
All changes are to be Rang either by walking them (as the term is) or else Whole-pulls, or Half-pulls.
Tintinnalogia, or, the Art of Ringing|Richard Duckworth and Fabian Stedman
The Vine is a universal favorite, and rarely out of view; while it often seems to cover half the ground in sight.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley

British Dictionary definitions for half-mast

half-mast

noun

the lower than normal position to which a flag is lowered on a mast as a sign of mourning or distress

verb

(tr) to put (a flag) in this position

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