halfway

[ haf-wey, hahf- ]

adverb

1. to half the distance; to midpoint:

   The rope reaches only halfway.

2. almost; nearly; just about:

   He halfway surrendered to their demands.

adjective

1. midway, as between two places or points.
2. going to or covering only half or part of the full extent:

   halfway measures.

halfway

/ ˌhɑːfˈweɪ /

adverb

1. at or to half the distance; at or to the middle
2. in or of an incomplete manner or nature
3. meet halfway
   to compromise with

Word History and Origins

Origin of halfway¹

First recorded in 1350–1400, halfway is from Middle English half wei. See half, way ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. meet halfway, to compromise with; give in partially to:

   They didn't comply with all our demands, but met us halfway on the more important points.

More idioms and phrases containing halfway

see go halfway .

Example Sentences

It did occur to me that a single misstep could leave me broken and bloody on the rocks below, but I was now halfway up and my pride was on the line.

From Washington Post

The project, replacing deteriorating platforms at 20 stations, is more than halfway complete.

From Washington Post

Combine it with the ingenious gift of a bag of frozen tater tots and you’re halfway to having someone else make you actual hot dish, the greatest gift of all.

From Eater

We estimated a median police salary for a typical officer by filtering pension data to find the base salaries of officers with 10 years on the job, that is, those who were halfway through a 20-year career.

From ProPublica

Fill the ramekin halfway with batter, add 1 tablespoon of the ganache and then cover with the rest of the batter.

From Washington Post

I meet Otis J. the night he arrives at “The Castle,” a West Harlem halfway house for newly-released convicts.

From The Daily Beast

Halfway through his second term, Johnson has enjoyed a charmed life.

From The Daily Beast

The likes of Coffman are “probably” already halfway wards of the state anyhow.

From The Daily Beast

Flying an Ebola patient halfway across the world is a difficult undertaking, to say the least.

From The Daily Beast

It ends up halfway around the world, then back in New York.

From The Daily Beast

Being only halfway in control of his own planetary system was no state to be found in by the first interstellar visitors.

From Project Gutenberg

Wentworth rang up from his rooms; they're probably halfway through lunch by now, and they'll be round in ten minutes.

From Project Gutenberg

From where he sat, both figures were above him, sheltered halfway up the long sliding slope.

From Project Gutenberg

The Black Hood took a couple of strides and then leaped from halfway down the steps.

From Project Gutenberg

They leaned against the ladders easily about halfway up, their fluffy short hair gleaming in the sun.

From Project Gutenberg