half step
noun
half step
Americannoun
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Music. semitone.
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Military. a step 15 inches (38 centimeters) long in quick time and 18 inches (46 centimeters) long in double time.
half-step
British
noun
Etymology
Origin of half step
First recorded in 1900–05
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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.
I’m a half step away from calling the animal communicator.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2024
This is a half step where a whole step is needed.
From Salon • Sep. 1, 2023
Lose just a half step in the NBA, and you may never get another shot.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 17, 2021
The Big Ten’s move to conference-only games is a half step toward canceling.
From New York Times • Jul. 10, 2020
The pattern for the minor scale starts a half step plus a whole step lower than the major scale pattern, so a relative minor is always three half steps lower than its relative major.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
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.
