: an intermission between halves of a game or contest (as in football or basketball)
: involving or working half the standard hours
half-time
adverb
Examples of halftime in a Sentence
Noun
The score was tied at halftime.
The coaches discussed strategy during halftime.
Recent Examples on the Web
Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 14 Apr. 2024
Julius Peppers and Mushin Muhammad were inducted into the franchise’s Hall of Honor and expressed gratitude and amazement at halftime.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2024
The Huskies went into halftime with a six-point lead, but a dominant defensive performance early in the second half, holding Purdue to just 10 points in over 10 minutes of play, allowed Connecticut to break away.
—CBS News, 8 Apr. 2024
The Huskies led by four at halftime, but the game was tied or within a few points for a majority of the second half as well.
—Trisha Garcia-Easto, Sacramento Bee, 7 Apr. 2024
Willy Agada scored twice and Dany Rosero once — via a perfect header on a corner kick — and KC led the visiting club 3-0 at halftime.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2024
Trayce Jackson-Davis walked off the court for halftime with a trainer but returned for the second half.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
The tense game was tied at 45 at halftime, but Clark could not be stopped in the third quarter.
—Julie Mazziotta, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
The Heat entered halftime ahead by five and extended its lead to as many as 18 points in the second half.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2024
Ben Church, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
The Spanish keeper passed the ball straight to Rodrygo who willingly looped the ball over him into the net just before half-time.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The mass exodus only ramped up after Kai Havertz and Declan Rice made it 5-0 before half-time.
—Ben Church, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024
Natascha Augustin, who was named managing director of Warner Chappell Music Germany in January, started at the company as a half-time intern, rotating among various departments.
—Robert Levine, Billboard, 4 Mar. 2024
Her attendance at the Super Bowl came after half-time performer Usher was announced as the new face of her loungewear, shapewear and underwear brand.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024
In search of an equalizer, Kilgore substituted star striker Alex Morgan into the game at half-time, but the team couldn’t find a way to break down Mexico’s resilient defense.
—Ben Church, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024
Nuñez was brought off at half-time in what may prove to be yet another injury problem for the Reds, on a day where Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota also had to be substituted.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024
So does rapper and singer Jelly Roll, and the minute-long spot closes with the big game’s half-time performer, Usher.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Feb. 2024
Noun
James dished 13 assists in the first half, which marked a new career high in a half for the 21-year NBA veteran, leading the Lakers to a 70-53 lead at halftime.
—Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 14 Apr. 2024
Julius Peppers and Mushin Muhammad were inducted into the franchise’s Hall of Honor and expressed gratitude and amazement at halftime.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2024
The Huskies went into halftime with a six-point lead, but a dominant defensive performance early in the second half, holding Purdue to just 10 points in over 10 minutes of play, allowed Connecticut to break away.
—CBS News, 8 Apr. 2024
The Huskies led by four at halftime, but the game was tied or within a few points for a majority of the second half as well.
—Trisha Garcia-Easto, Sacramento Bee, 7 Apr. 2024
Willy Agada scored twice and Dany Rosero once — via a perfect header on a corner kick — and KC led the visiting club 3-0 at halftime.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2024
Trayce Jackson-Davis walked off the court for halftime with a trainer but returned for the second half.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
The tense game was tied at 45 at halftime, but Clark could not be stopped in the third quarter.
—Julie Mazziotta, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
The Heat entered halftime ahead by five and extended its lead to as many as 18 points in the second half.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2024
Adjective
French forward Delphine Cascarino did finally open the scoring for Lyon but Benfica equalized before half-time to keep its faint hopes alive.
—Ben Church, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
The Spanish keeper passed the ball straight to Rodrygo who willingly looped the ball over him into the net just before half-time.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The mass exodus only ramped up after Kai Havertz and Declan Rice made it 5-0 before half-time.
—Ben Church, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024
Natascha Augustin, who was named managing director of Warner Chappell Music Germany in January, started at the company as a half-time intern, rotating among various departments.
—Robert Levine, Billboard, 4 Mar. 2024
Her attendance at the Super Bowl came after half-time performer Usher was announced as the new face of her loungewear, shapewear and underwear brand.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024
In search of an equalizer, Kilgore substituted star striker Alex Morgan into the game at half-time, but the team couldn’t find a way to break down Mexico’s resilient defense.
—Ben Church, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024
Nuñez was brought off at half-time in what may prove to be yet another injury problem for the Reds, on a day where Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota also had to be substituted.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024
So does rapper and singer Jelly Roll, and the minute-long spot closes with the big game’s half-time performer, Usher.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'halftime.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near halftime
Cite this Entry
“Halftime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/halftime. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
halftime
noun
half·time
ˈhaf-ˌtīm 
ˈhȧf-
: an intermission marking the completion of half of a game (as in football)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share