halve
Americanverb (used with object)
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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 miner could either halve production to 2035 which would reduce global mine supply by around 7% or push to maintain output at roughly current levels, he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 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
Tech hardware stocks may halve in value, similar to what investors experienced in the sector during the 2008-09 global financial crisis, while software stocks and retail are likely to fall 25% to 30%, Panmure said.
From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026
The visitors needed a response and they got it when Adams darted over from close range and Sheedy converted to halve the deficit.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
“Second, the idea of helping you halve your sentence and getting you back out and at large on the street two years earlier? Not terribly appealing.”
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
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
In every match, the referee is to call for a break around the 22-minute mark of both halves, regardless of weather.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
Soccer, on the other hand, is defined by constant activity: two unbroken 45-minute halves, with no pause for a soda brand or insurance company to chime in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
We hold whole notes twice as long as halves.
From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari
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
Last week, Conagra halved its dividend and guided to an earnings decline in the new fiscal year that was steeper than Wall Street expected.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Mercedes, whose profits halved last year, told AFP that it had launched a savings drive because "structural costs in Germany -- particularly labour costs -- are not competitive by international standards".
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
The nonfarm-payrolls figure halved between May and June, and the latest job-creation figures were about half Wall Street’s estimates.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
It was as though his head had been halved like an apple, then put together a fraction off center.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
Microsoft launches a new quantum chip, claiming it is 1,000 times more reliable and halving its scalable quantum computer timeline to 2029.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
Now she has been banished along with fruit and vegetable sellers to a vacant lot with lower foot traffic, her turnover roughly halving as a result.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
Brazilian exports to the US fell off a cliff, more than halving last summer.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
In the last cycle Micron stock peaked at the start of 2022, with the forward P/E at just nine times, ahead of a halving in the shares that year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026
And it is also at this point that he would have made an unfortunate discovery: looking at his image in a mirror will have had the effect of halving its height.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
