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half
[ haf ]
noun
- one of two equal or approximately equal parts of a divisible whole, as an object, or unit of measure or time; a part of a whole equal or almost equal to the remainder.
- a quantity or amount equal to such a part (½).
- Sports. either of two equal periods of play, usually with an intermission or rest period separating them. Compare quarter ( def 10 ).
- one of two; a part of a pair.
- Informal.
- the sum of 50 cents:
Four dimes and two nickels make a half.
- Baseball. either of the two units of play into which an inning is divided, the visiting team batting in the first unit and the home team batting in the second.
- Football. a halfback.
- British Informal.
- a half-crown coin.
- the sum of a half crown; two shillings, sixpence.
- a half pint:
He ordered a half of ale.
adjective
- being one of two equal or approximately equal parts of a divisible whole:
a half quart.
- being half or about half of anything in degree, amount, length, etc.:
at half speed; half sleeve.
- partial or incomplete:
half measures.
half
1/ hɑːf /
noun
- either of two equal or corresponding parts that together comprise a whole
- a quantity equalling such a part
half a dozen
- half a pint, esp of beer
- a small drink of spirits, esp whisky
- sport the half of the pitch regarded as belonging to one team
- golf an equal score on a hole or round with an opponent
- (in various games) either of two periods of play separated by an interval (the first half and second half )
- a half-price ticket on a bus, train, etc
- short for half-hour
- short for halfpenny
- sport short for halfback
- obsolete.a half-year period
- better half humorous.a person's wife or husband
- by halfby an excessive amount or to an excessive degree
he's too arrogant by half
- by halvesused with a negative without being thorough or exhaustive
we don't do things by halves
- go halvesoften foll byon, in, etc
- to share the expenses (of something with one other person)
- to share the whole amount (of something with another person)
to go halves on an orange
determiner
- being a half or approximately a half
half the kingdom
- ( as pronoun; functioning as sing or plural )
half of them came
adjective
- not perfect or complete; partial
he only did a half job on it
adverb
- to the amount or extent of a half
- to a great amount or extent
- partially; to an extent
- half two informal.30 minutes after two o'clock
- have half a mind toto have the intention of
- not half informal.
- not in any way
he's not half clever enough
- really; very; indeed
he isn't half stupid
- certainly; yes, indeed
half-
2prefix
- one of two equal parts
half-moon
- related by one parent only
half-sister
- not completely; partly
half-hardy
Grammar Note
Word History and Origins
Origin of half1
Word History and Origins
Origin of half1
Idioms and Phrases
- by half, by very much; by far:
She was too talented by half for her routine role.
- half again as much / many, as much as 50 percent more:
This mug holds half again as much coffee as the smaller one.
- half in two, Southern U.S. (chiefly Gulf States). in or into two parts; in half:
Cut the cake half in two.
- in half, divided into halves:
The vase broke in half.
- not half,
- not at all; not really:
His first attempts at painting are not half bad.
- not the half of, a significant yet relatively minor part of something that remains to be described in full: Also not half of, not half.
He accused them of being responsible for the error, and that's not the half of the story.
More idioms and phrases containing half
- at half-mast
- better half
- by half
- glass is half full
- go halfway
- go off (half-cocked)
- in half
- not bad (half bad)
- six of one, half dozen of the other
- time and a half
- with half an eye
- halfway
- halves
Example Sentences
Some estimates suggest that half the global population could be obese by 2035.
A National Institute of Justice study suggests that undocumented migrants in the US are arrested for violent and drug crimes at less than half the rate of native-born citizens.
Chu struggles to give the burgeoning friendship between Elphaba and Glinda the same thrust as he does the film’s central plot, which has a more momentous push in the movie’s second half.
In addition to spin polarizing half the fuels, the percentage of deuterium would be increased from the usual amount of roughly 60% or more.
Additionally, the study shows about half of the cultural knowledge hunter-gatherer children and adolescents acquire comes from people they are not related to.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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