half hour

noun

1

: thirty minutes

2

: the middle point of an hour

half-hourly

ˈhaf-ˈau̇(-ə)r-lē 

ˈhäf-

adverb or adjective

Examples of half hour in a Sentence

Trains depart every half hour.

I waited a half hour in line.

Recent Examples on the Web

Fed day : Thursday’s session may very well belong to the bond market as investors await the Fed’s latest policy decision, which is due out at 2 p.m. ET followed by Chair Jerome Powell’s press conference a half hour later. —Kevin Stankiewicz,matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2024

Riders must be at least 7 years old to take part in the two and half hour adventure and online reservations are recommended. —The Courier-Journal, 4 Nov. 2024

Local boards must update their numbers either every half hour or hour, depending on the county, until all precincts have reported results. —Haley Bemiller, The Enquirer, 5 Nov. 2024

Biden sat down for roughly a half hour with the show's five co-hosts in what was his first interview since the Democratic National Convention and the Sept. 10 ABC News presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump. —Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 25 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

half hour

noun

1

: thirty minutes

2

: the middle point of an hour

half-hourly

ˈhaf-ˈau̇(ə)r-lē

ˈhȧf-

adverb or adjective