halfway

1 of 2

adverb

half·​way ˈhaf-ˈwā 

ˈhäf-

: midway between two points

At length the cat steps halfway out the door, showing his spotted brown coat and the stripes on his legs.

—Paul Comstock

halfway

2 of 2

adjective

1

: midway between two points

at the halfway point/mark

2

: partial

a halfway solution

Synonyms

Adjective

• deficient
• fragmental
• fragmentary
• half
• incomplete
• partial

Examples of halfway in a Sentence

Adjective

She was leading at the halfway mark of the race.

We're halfway toward completing the project.

They're only offering halfway measures, not a real solution.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Place cauliflower in oven, and place a separate baking dish filled halfway with water under the cauliflower on the bottom rack of the oven. —Amanda Stanfield, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2024

Zoom in: New Hope is halfway between Philly and Manhattan. —Mike D'onofrio, Axios, 24 Oct. 2024

Adjective

Now, only eight couples remain in the competition, which reached its halfway point last week. —Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024

But there was only one less crash at the halfway point of 2024 compared with 2023, with most of them speed-related, the report showed. —Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Middle English half wey, from half half entry 2 + wey way entry 1

Adjective

derivative of halfway entry 1

First Known Use

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1644, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing halfway

• halfway around/across the world
• halfway decent
• halfway house
• halfway through
• meet halfway

Kids Definition

halfway

adjective

half·​way -ˈwā 

1

: midway between two points

stop at the halfway mark

2

: partial sense 3

halfway measures

halfway adverb