halve

verb

ˈhav 

ˈhäv

halved; halving

transitive verb

1

a

: to divide into two equal parts

b

: to reduce to one half

halving the present cost

c

: to share equally

2

golf : to play (a hole, round, or match) in the same number of strokes as one's opponent

I lost the next two holes to pars, then halved the fourth by missing an easy putt.

—David Owen

Examples of halve in a Sentence

The store is halving the price of many summer items.

Recent Examples on the Web

In a stroke, the demise of the Assad regime halved the number of states that Iran counts as an ally, leaving only Venezuela, a nation emptying itself of its people. —Kay Armin Serjoie, TIME, 16 Dec. 2024

Since taking over struggling locations, the company has halved turnover for key roles, including shift leaders and managers. —Stephen Wunker, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024

The country's growth rate has turned negative, with its population expected to halve to 662.8 million by 2100. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024

The aid package almost halves the more than $2 billion available through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which aims to further buy weapons for Ukraine rather than taking from American weapon stocks, as Reuters reported. —Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 7 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from half half

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

halve

verb

ˈhav 

ˈhȧv

halved; halving

1

: to divide into two halves

2

: to reduce to one half

halving the cost