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
He would bravely take the blast off his chest and, while stoically bubbling up lung blood, could whip a frozen rope to first base to nip the runner by a half step.
From Washington Post • Mar. 25, 2019
So a trumpet or tuba can get one harmonic series using no valves, another one a half step lower using one valve, another one a whole step lower using another valve, and so on.
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.
