by half

Idioms

Considerably, a great deal, as in He was too good a cook by half for this small restaurant. [c. a.d. 1000] Contrast by halves.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Lithuania announced it would slash the price of domestic train tickets by half to provide travellers some respite from soaring fuel prices triggered by the war in the Middle East.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

The number of people living in relative poverty in the UK rose by half a million in the year up to March 2025, new government figures have shown.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

The critical conference game will decide the head-to-head tiebreaker between the teams that are separated by half a game in the standings.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

The consulting club I joined freshman year wasn’t competitive then but has seen interest increase to the point that our acceptance rate has declined by half and we have begun closing applications early.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

He had known his sort in King’s Landing—fawning to his superiors, harsh to his inferiors, as blind as he was boastful and too proud by half.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023