halve

American  

[hav, hahv] / hæv, hɑv /

verb (used with object)

halved, halving

1. to divide into two equal parts.

2. to share equally.

   to halve one's rations with a stranger.

3. to reduce to half.

4. Golf. to play (a hole, round, or match) in the same number of strokes as one's opponent.

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idioms

1. halve together, to join (two pieces of wood) by cutting from one, at the place of joining, a portion fitting to that left solid in the other.

halve British  

/ hɑːv /

verb

1. to divide into two approximately equal parts

2. to share equally

3. to reduce by half, as by cutting

4. golf to take the same number of strokes on (a hole or round) as one's opponent

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Other Word Forms

• unhalved adjective

Etymology

Origin of halve

1250–1300; Middle English halven, derivative of half

Explanation

To halve something is to divide it into two equal parts. When you share a pizza with your best friend, you can cut it in half, or halve it. A recipe might instruct you to halve an onion, and a little kid might request that you halve her peanut butter sandwich and cut the crusts off. You can also halve less physical things — you can halve your expenses if you reduce them by half, or halve the bill for lunch with your sister, if you split it with her. Halve comes from half, originally an Old English word meaning "side" or "part."

Example Sentences

The government has pledged to halve "long-term rough sleeping" by 2030 and prevent more households from becoming homeless in the first place.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

The government says it plans to halve the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers in England by the time children born in this Parliament finish secondary school.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026

Under its proposed reforms, the government said it is also planning to halve the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers in England by the time children born in this Parliament finish secondary school.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026

They can ramp up the pressure even more on Arsenal with victory over Fulham on Wednesday to halve the deficit at the top before the Gunners face Brentford 24 hours later.

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

“Second, the idea of helping you halve your sentence and getting you back out and at large on the street two years earlier? Not terribly appealing.”

From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin