half

1 of 3

noun

ˈhaf How to pronounce half (audio)
ˈhäf
plural halves ˈhavz How to pronounce half (audio)
ˈhävz
1
a
: either of two equal parts that compose something
also : a part approximately equal to one of these
half the distance
the larger half of the fortune
b
: half an hour
used in designation of time
half past two
2
: one of a pair: such as
a
b
c
: either of the two equal periods that together make up the playing time of some games (such as football)
also : the midpoint in playing time
the score was tied at the half
3
4

half

2 of 3

adjective

1
a
: being one of two equal parts
a half share
a half sheet of paper
b(1)
: that is approximately equal to either of two equal parts that compose something : amounting to approximately half
a half mile
a half million
(2)
: falling short of the full or complete thing : partial
half measures
a half smile
2
: extending over one of two equal parts of something : covering only half
a half window
a half mask
halfness noun

half

3 of 3

adverb

1
a
: in an equal part or degree
the crowd was half jeering, half respectful
b
: not completely : partially
half persuaded
2
: by any means : at all
her singing isn't half bad
Phrases
by half
: by a great deal
too clever by half
by halves
: in part : half-heartedly
She never does things by halves.
half again as
: one-and-a-half times as
half again as many
in half
: into two equal or nearly equal parts
cut the apple in half

Examples of half in a Sentence

Noun She broke each cookie into halves. “Which half do you want?” “I'll take the smaller half.” Two halves make a whole. The team fell behind in the first half but rallied in the second half to win the game. “What's yours?” “A half of lager, please.” Adjective a half cup of coffee He owns a half share in the company. a half pound of cheese She looked at him with a shy half smile. Adverb The glass of water is half full. The crowd was half cheering and half jeering. The train departed at half past the hour. He was only half aware of what was happening. She had half persuaded me to stay. The door was half open. These eggs are only half cooked.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The report warned that if Israel broadens its offensive to the packed southern city of Rafah, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to do, the fighting could drive over 1 million people — half of Gaza’s population — into catastrophic hunger and potentially cause famine in the south. Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy and Tia Goldenberg, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024 Settlement terms included Grande making a onetime payment of $1,250,000 to Gomez with no future alimony, giving him half of the proceeds of the sale of their Los Angeles home and paying up to $25,000 toward his attorneys’ fees. Lexy Perez, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2024 The latter was something particularly in focus for the model, who professionally is one half of the iconic couple in the Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue advertisements. Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 19 Mar. 2024 Audi is planning to introduce 20 models by 2026, half of them fully electric. Monica Raymunt, Fortune Europe, 19 Mar. 2024 Researchers looked at over 20 million people in Europe; half of them were vaccinated against the virus, and half were not. Youri Benadjaoud, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024 As her memories get erased à la Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which served as the music video’s inspiration, Peters’ half of the mattress was forcibly ripped away. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 18 Mar. 2024 The latter half of the video showed the couple learning their now-2-year-old daughter, Violet, was getting a little sister. Zoey Lyttle, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2024 Few in the international community spoke out, for example, when the Iraqi army leveled half of Mosul in its effort to expel the Islamic State in 2016 and 2017. Andrew Exum, The Atlantic, 18 Mar. 2024
Adjective
This president entered office with the ignominious distinction of having been outspokenly wrong on just about every consequential matter relating to foreign affairs over the last half century, as NR chronicled. Noah Rothman, National Review, 18 Mar. 2024 The black ribbon that Selena Gomez chose to facilitate her half updo has become the favorite hair accessory of the most fashion savvy. Teresa Romero Martínez, Glamour, 24 Feb. 2024 On top of that, the moon will be at approximately half illumination, meaning stargazers will have a more challenging time viewing the shooting stars, though the bright fireballs can cut through light pollution, Live Science reports. USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 Cut biscuits in half, top with a slice of ham and slather with mustard, chutney or hot pepper jelly. Andrea Weigl, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 Located near the Shops at Sunset Place, this running store also features half and full marathon training, and a couch-to-5k style Fitness 101 program for newbies. Priscilla Blossom, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 In their joint statement released Tuesday, the parties confirmed Combs will no longer be a half owner of the DeLéon brand. Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 16 Jan. 2024 In one photo, their son wears a knit beanie with half moons on it, snuggled under a blanket with his initials. Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 15 Jan. 2024 There was now no real need to annex the West Bank and its half million settlers. David Remnick, The New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2024
Adverb
Her eyes were half open, lips parted, hands in her lap and upturned. Zach Williams, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024 One study found that around 14 percent of the rhinovirus on an individual’s fingers was transferred to another individual via a doorknob or faucet, and half as much via hand-to-hand contact. Sabrina Sholts, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024 Controlling for other factors, college graduates who completed an internship were half as likely to be underemployed. Preston Cooper, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Your glass can either be half empty or half full, and my glass is always half full. Ali Martin, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Feb. 2024 But that doesn’t always make for great drama, nor for characters who go deep enough, resulting in a well-meaning film that feels half like a globetrotting Hollywood thriller, half like a long commercial for the UN Refugee Agency. Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Feb. 2024 The footage showed Malachi lying on the ground, his eyes half closed, while another police officer cut off his shirt to administer aid. Keith L. Alexander, Washington Post, 26 Feb. 2024 Office spaces were only half full in mid-December 2023, according to the Kastle Back to Work Barometer. Gerard Szatvanyi, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 But Herro and Adebayo helped right the ship, and Miami went to half ahead 53-51 despite shooting just 4 for 20 on threes in the first half. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 8 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'half.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun, Adjective, and Adverb

Middle English, from Old English healf; akin to Old High German halb half

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of half was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near half

Cite this Entry

“Half.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/half. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

half

1 of 3 noun
ˈhaf How to pronounce half (audio)
ˈhȧf
plural halves ˈhavz How to pronounce half (audio)
ˈhȧvz
1
: one of two equal or nearly equal parts that make up something
half of an apple
2
: half an hour
half past ten
3
: one of a pair
especially : one of the two equal periods that make up the playing time of some games (as football)

half

2 of 3 adjective
1
: being one of two halves
a half sheet of paper
a half mile away
2
: of half the usual size or extent
a half smile

half

3 of 3 adverb
1
a
: to the extent of half
half full
b
: to some degree : not completely
half persuaded
2
: by any means : at all
the song wasn't half bad

More from Merriam-Webster on half

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