halftime

or half-time

[haf-tahym, hahf-]

noun

the period indicating completion of half the time allowed for an activity, as for a football or basketball game or an examination.
Sports. the intermission or rest period between the two halves of a football, basketball, or other game, during which spectators are often entertained by baton twirling, marching bands, or the like.

adjective

pertaining to or taking place during a halftime: The football fans were treated to a halftime exhibition by the marching band.

Origin of halftime

First recorded in 1870–75; half + time

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

Examples from the Web for halftime

Contemporary Examples of halftime

By halftime a crowd of what appeared to be a few hundred people had amassed in the bitter cold.
‘I Can’t Breathe’ Makes It Onto the Court for Will and Kate to See
Jacob Siegel
December 9, 2014
At halftime somebody had come into the dressing room and told us Pearl Harbor had been bombed by the Japs.
Football Great Bob Suffridge Wanders Through the End Zone of Life
Paul Hemphill
September 6, 2014
A contest is divided into two 45-minute periods with a 15-minute halftime, and there are no commercials to interrupt the action.
Rupert Murdoch Bets a Half-Billion Dollars That the Next World Cup Will Be Even Bigger in America
Evan Weiner
June 30, 2014
The second goal came on the brink of halftime, after Casillas punched a ball right back at the feet of Charles Aranguiz.
Chile Ends Spain’s World Cup Reign
Tunku Varadarajan
June 18, 2014
His words, fired randomly and at varying volumes, thunder like a halftime speech.
Hallucinating Away a Heroin Addiction
Abby Haglage
May 4, 2014

Historical Examples of halftime

But putting him on halftime, and Nels with five children to support, seemed like extreme punishment.
Double Challenge
James Arthur Kjelgaard