semiannual

[ sem-ee-an-yoo-uhl, sem-ahy- ]

/ ˌsɛm iˈæn yu əl, ˌsɛm aɪ- /

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See synonyms for semiannual on Thesaurus.com

adjective

Also semiyearly . occurring, done, or published every half year or twice a year; biannual.

lasting for half a year: a semiannual plant.

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Origin of semiannual

First recorded in 1785–95; semi- + annual

words often confused with semiannual

See bi-¹.

OTHER WORDS FROM semiannual

sem·i·an·nu·al·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH semiannual

biannual, biennial, semiannual , semiyearly (see confusables note at bi-¹)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use semiannual in a sentence

Trump was in New Orleans for the Republican Leadership Conference, a semi-annual conservative confab.
Donald Trump Is Still A Birther|David Freedlander|May 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen goes before the Senate Banking Committee to give a semi-annual monetary policy testimony.
The Daily Beast Looks Ahead: February 24 - March 2|Brandy Zadrozny|February 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His signature blue jacket is a Parisian street sweeper's smock purchased on his semi-annual trips to Paris.
Knowing Bill Cunningham|Philip Gefter|March 22, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The four officials preside over semi-annual meetings on every topic under the sun.
We're Handling China All Wrong|Jeffrey E. Garten|February 17, 2010|DAILY BEAST

Hall's reports continued, as ever, optimistic; but the semi-annual statements were less encouraging.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete|Albert Bigelow Paine
Their migration is semi-annual; but unlike most other migratory birds, it is far from being regular.
The Hunters' Feast|Mayne Reid
But a semi-annual payment of this annuity was far from sufficient to meet the expenses of establishing himself as a married man.
The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume II (of 3)|Alexander Wheelock Thayer
My salary suffices only to pay my semi-annual rent, after which there remains only a few hundred florins.
The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume III (of 3)|Alexander Wheelock Thayer
Skin lodges were used when traveling or upon the semi-annual hunt.
Legends of The Kaw|Carrie de Voe

British Dictionary definitions for semiannual

semiannual

/ (ˌsɛmɪˈænjʊəl) /

adjective

occurring every half-year

lasting for half a year

Derived forms of semiannual

semiannually, adverb

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

semiannual

Origin of semiannual

words often confused with semiannual

OTHER WORDS FROM semiannual

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH semiannual

Words related to semiannual

How to use semiannual in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for semiannual

Derived forms of semiannual