halve
Americanverb (used with object)
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halves,
present (3rd person singular)
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halved,
past participle, past
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halving
present participle
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to divide into two equal parts.
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to share equally.
to halve one's rations with a stranger.
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to reduce to half.
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Golf. to play (a hole, round, or match) in the same number of strokes as one's opponent.
idioms
verb
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to divide into two approximately equal parts
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to share equally
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to reduce by half, as by cutting
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golf to take the same number of strokes on (a hole or round) as one's opponent
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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halvesimple
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halvessimple
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have halvedperfect
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has halvedperfect
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am halvingprogressive
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are halvingprogressive
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is halvingprogressive
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have been halvingperfect progressive
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has been halvingperfect progressive
Past
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halvedsimple
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had halvedperfect
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was halvingprogressive
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were halvingprogressive
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had been halvingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of halve
1250–1300; Middle English halven, derivative of half
Explanation
To halve something is to divide it into two equal parts. When you share a pizza with your best friend, you can cut it in half, or halve it. A recipe might instruct you to halve an onion, and a little kid might request that you halve her peanut butter sandwich and cut the crusts off. You can also halve less physical things — you can halve your expenses if you reduce them by half, or halve the bill for lunch with your sister, if you split it with her. Halve comes from half, originally an Old English word meaning "side" or "part."
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.
See Examples For:
The tentative pact would halve U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum and lower the duty on Canadian automobiles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
The government had previously set itself a target to halve the disadvantage gap by the time the current generation of children finish secondary school.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
The world’s second-largest automaker plans to halve its lineup of cars as part of its second major overhaul in two years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Exercise capacity declines by about 1% annually after the late 20s, but regular workouts can halve this age-related reduction.
From Barron's ● May 23, 2026
Just when I think I’m getting the hang of something, Asher will halve the time required of us to do certain missions or perform certain moves.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
They led England off the field at Headingley hand in hand, hatching their plan to make one ball into two halves.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Splitting the market in two and owning both halves is a lot like owning the whole thing in the first place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
The chart above shows that, much of the time, the two halves of this hedge tend to rise and fall together.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
She uses tweezers to nestle the roasted halves on a swirl of verdant puree, then tops it off with crispy fried leaves.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
Although not illegal, indulging in the so-called grandmaster draw—in which neither player strives to win but, rather, halves the point after a few inconsequential moves have been made—bordered on unprincipled behavior.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Ella Miller and Alex Kovach bought a home in one such area, East Baltimore’s Johnston Square, where nonprofit developer ReBUILD Metro has halved the number of vacant homes in recent years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
But by the day's end, the Kospi was six percent lower, while SK hynix and Samsung had halved their losses.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
The stock’s surge marks a turnaround in investor sentiment, as shares of Super Micro have nearly halved since their early June peak.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
However, from April 2026, the health element of universal credit paid to new claimants was halved for those with less severe conditions.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
They passed the milk container around, and Dicey halved the tomatoes.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
Samsung fell more than 12 percent, while its main domestic rival SK hynix tumbled nearly 20 percent after 14 percent losses the day before -- halving its value from record highs last month.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
In all Rahm has played 17 matches, winning nine, losing five and halving three.
From BBC ● May 5, 2026
Overall, the LEI fell by 1% over the six months between September 2025 and March 2026, more than halving the rate of decline of its 2.1% contraction over the previous six-month period, the survey said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
A spokesperson for the Department of Education said misogynistic views are "learned" and the government is "committed to using every possible tool to achieve our mission of halving violence against women and girls".
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2026
We created Little A by halving the length of our stretched guitar string.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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.
