half

¹half

noun \ˈhaf, ˈhäf\

plural halves\ˈhavz, ˈhävz\

Definition of HALF

1

a : either of two equal parts that compose something; also : a part approximately equal to one of these <half the distance> <the larger half of the fortune> b : half an hour —used in designation of time

2

: one of a pair: as a : partner b : semester, term c : either of the two equal periods that together make up the playing time of some games (as football); also : the midpoint in playing time <the score was tied at the half>

3

: half-dollar

4

: halfback

— by half

: by a great deal

— by halves

: in part : halfheartedly

— half again as

: one-and-a-half times as <half again as many>

— in half

: into two equal or nearly equal parts

Examples of HALF

1. She broke each cookie into halves.
2. “Which half do you want?” “I'll take the smaller half.”
3. Two halves make a whole.
4. The team fell behind in the first half but rallied in the second half to win the game.
5. “What's yours?” “A half of lager, please.”

Origin of HALF

Middle English, from Old English healf; akin to Old High German halb half

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to HALF

Synonyms: moiety

Related Words: halvers; hemisphere, meridian, semicircle; component, constituent, division, element, fraction, part, piece, portion, section, segment

Near Antonyms: aggregate, sum, total, whole

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Other Number-Related Terms

jubilee, myriad, quarantine, score, twain

Rhymes with HALF

caff, calf, chaff, daff, gaff, gaffe, graph, laugh, quaff, raff, sclaff, staff, staph, Waf, waff