halfway house

noun

1
a
: a place to stop midway on a journey
b
: a halfway place in a progression
2
: a residence for individuals after release from institutionalization (as for mental illness, drug addiction, or criminal activity) that is designed to facilitate their readjustment to private life

Examples of halfway house in a Sentence

The car is the perfect halfway house between a family caravan and luxury sedan.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Advertisement The consent decree requires close monitoring of staff abuse and retaliation, medical care, the application of early release credits and the timely release of inmates to halfway houses. Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024 Many of those who are eligible for First Step Act are minimum security prisoners but a lack of halfway house capacity has led to many prisoners staying in institutions longer than necessary. Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024 His July 2014 sentence also included five years’ probation on each count to run concurrently, but Flack had terminal cancer and died at age 78, not long after serving time in a halfway house. Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2024 According to court records, Mason went to her usual polling place on Nov. 8, 2016, after having been released from federal prison a year earlier and from a halfway house in August. Marley Malenfant, Austin American-Statesman, 29 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for halfway house 

Word History

First Known Use

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of halfway house was in 1648

Dictionary Entries Near halfway house

Cite this Entry

“Halfway house.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/halfway%20house. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

halfway house

noun
: a place that provides living quarters and usually counseling to persons who have left an institution (as a prison or mental hospital) but are not ready to live in the community

Medical Definition

halfway house

noun
half·​way house ˈhaf-ˈwā-, ˈhȧf- How to pronounce halfway house (audio)
: a center for individuals after institutionalization (as for mental illness or drug addiction) that is designed to facilitate their readjustment to private life

Legal Definition

halfway house

noun
half·​way house
: a residence for formerly institutionalized individuals (as mental patients, drug addicts, or convicts) that is designed to facilitate their readjustment to private life

More from Merriam-Webster on halfway house

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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