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behalf

[ bih-haf, -hahf ]
/ bɪˈhæf, -ˈhɑf /
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Idioms
in / on behalf of, as a representative of or a proxy for: On behalf of my colleagues, I address you tonight.
in / on someone's behalf, in the interest or aid of (someone): He interceded in my behalf.
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Origin of behalf

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; Middle English bihalve, earlier as adverb and preposition with the sense “near(by),” originally, as prepositional phrase bi halve “on one side”; see be-, by, half
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to behalf

favor, side, account, advantage, aid, assistance, benefit, cause, concern, countenance, defense, encouragement, furtherance, good, help, part, place, profit, recommendation, representation

How to use behalf in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for behalf

behalf
/ (bɪˈhɑːf) /
noun
interest, part, benefit, or respect (only in the phrases on (someone's) behalf, on or US and Canadian in behalf of, in this (or that) behalf)

Word Origin for behalf

Old English be halfe from be by + halfe side; compare Old Norse af halfu

usage for behalf

On behalf of is sometimes wrongly used where on the part of is intended. The distinction is that on behalf of someone means `for someone's benefit' or `representing someone', while on the part of someone can be roughly paraphrased as `by someone'. So, the following example is incorrect: another act of apparent negligence, this time not on behalf of the company itself, but on behalf of its banker, when what was meant was there was negligence by the company's banker
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with behalf

behalf

see in behalf of.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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