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half Definition

half (haf, häf)

noun pl. halves

    1. either of the two equal parts of something the top half of the sixth inning
    2. either of two approximately equal parts the larger half of a divided pie
    1. a half-hour half past one
    2. ☆ a half dollar
    1. Baseball either of the two parts of an inning the top half of the sixth inning
    2. Basketball, Football, etc. either of the two equal periods of the game, between which the players rest
    3. Football halfback

Etymology: ME < OE healf, part, half, akin to ON halfr, Ger halb < IE (s)kelep-, lit., divided < base *(s)kel-, to cut > scalp, skill, helm

adjective

    1. being either of the two equal parts
    2. being about a half of the amount, length, etc. a half mask covered his eyes
  1. incomplete; fragmentary; partial

adverb

  1. to an extent approximately or exactly fifty percent of the whole
    1. to some extent; partly to be half convinced
    2. to a large extent or degree; nearly: often used hyperbolically half dead with fatigue
  2. by any means; at all: used with not not half bad

half Idioms

by half

considerably; very much

in half

into halves

not the half of

only a small part of

half Synonyms

half

modif.

partly, partial, divided by two, divided in two, equally distributed in halves, mixed, divided, halved, bisected, half-and-half, fifty-fifty; see also halfway, two.

Antonyms all, full*, filled.

by half

considerably, many, very much; see much 1, 2.

in half

into halves, split, divided; see half.

not the half of it

not all of it, partial, incomplete; see unfinished 1.

half Synonyms

half

n.

share, equal share, moiety, fifty percent.

go halves<strong> or </strong>halvsies*

share expenses, pay one's own way, go Dutch; see share 4.

half Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • century: The lane was probably built to give access to Lune Mill in the first half of the 13th century, or earlier.
  • season: After a dreadful run in the second half of the season there was a slight chance that we could go down again.
  • 1990s: For each of these sites, rates began to decline in 1980-84 and have continued to fall into the first half of the 1990s.
  • household: It claims that around half of all pensioner households will be eligible and stand to gain roughly £ 400 a year on average.

Converse of object

spend: I've got to 40, and now I'll be spending the second half of my life with wheels instead of legs.

Adjective modifier

  • second: Quiet second half, broken up by a lot of Bolton changes.
  • latter: But while Henry dominated the early part of our innings, the skipper came to the fore in the latter half.
  • first: The lane was probably built to give access to Lune Mill in the first half of the 13th century, or earlier.
  • least: Women count for a least half of the world's population.
  • 2nd: The 2nd half began with Megan, Mollie and Jessica being replaced by Emma, Maisie and Sophie.
  • southern: In the southern half of this Country or in pets kept in a heated environment they are a problem all year long.

Modifies a noun

  • hour: They will perform a half hour show to release the great first album.
  • marathon: The last time i did anything like this it was a half marathon sponsored run in Basrah!
  • mile: Leeds & Liverpool - Springs Branch Description: A half mile branch at Skipton.
  • dozen: It's not easy to pick just one from my half dozen or so of his books as all are superb.
  • inch: If it has a half inch or so gap around in the inside, it's no big deal.
  • brother: Barbara ( or Peggy as she is known ) has been trying for a long time to get any information on her half brother.

Noun used with modifier

  • scrum: His 34 tries is also a record for an international scrum half.
  • fly: The fly half added the two extra points from in front of the posts to make the score 24-10.
  • opening: The opening half hour was largely uneventful, with both sides looking a little rusty after a summer without competition.

Browse dictionary entries near half

  1. haler
  2. Haleb
  3. hale
  4. Haldane
  5. halcyon
  6. halberd
  7. halazone
  8. halation
  9. halala
  10. halal
  1. half-and-half
  2. half-assed
  3. half-baked
  4. half binding
  5. half blood
  6. half boot
  7. half-breed
  8. half brother
  9. half-caste
  10. half-cell