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half step

American

noun

Music. semitone.
Military. a step 15 inches (38 centimeters) long in quick time and 18 inches (46 centimeters) long in double time.

half-step British

noun

music another word for semitone

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of half step

First recorded in 1900–05

Compare meaning

How does half-step compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

whole step vs. half step

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.

I’m a half step away from calling the animal communicator.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2024

This is a half step where a whole step is needed.

From Salon • Sep. 1, 2023

The ground tore up his bare feet, making “every little half step hurt.”

From Washington Post • Sep. 12, 2022

He said: “If Australia takes this big step, then Japan could take a half step, and Taiwan takes a half step, and then India and then maybe Vietnam.”

From New York Times • Sep. 21, 2021

The diminished seventh is one half step below the minor seventh.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

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