halo

1 of 3

noun

ha·​lo ˈhā-(ˌ)lō How to pronounce halo (audio)
plural halos or haloes
1
: a circle of light appearing to surround the sun or moon and resulting from refraction or reflection of light by ice particles in the atmosphere
2
: something resembling a halo: such as
a
: nimbus
b
: a region of space surrounding a galaxy that is sparsely populated with luminous objects (such as globular clusters) but is believed to contain a great deal of dark matter
c
: a differentiated zone surrounding a central zone or object
d
or halo brace : an orthopedic device used to immobilize the head and neck (as to treat fracture of neck vertebrae) that consists of a metal band placed around the head and fastened to the skull usually with metal pins and that is attached by extensions to an inflexible vest
3
: the aura of glory, veneration, or sentiment surrounding an idealized person or thing

halo

2 of 3

verb

haloed; haloing; haloes

transitive verb

: to form into or surround with a halo
rainbows haloed the waterfallsMichael Crawford

halo-

3 of 3

combining form

see hal-

Examples of halo in a Sentence

Noun the halo of unimpeachable honesty in which the politician had long basked a naturalistic depiction of Saint Peter that shows him as a humble fisherman and without the traditional halo
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
If a halo of paint or drywall paper is poking out, push it into the hole; a narrow screwdriver helps. Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Wraps, on the other hand, are Subway’s highest calorie and carbohydrate option despite getting a health halo. Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2024 Because the sky glow — the halo of light surrounding cities from artificial light sources — is stronger than the reflection of the moon and stars on the ocean’s surface, the sea turtles are drawn inward to the land along coastal cities. Caralin Nunes, The Arizona Republic, 29 Jan. 2024 And a diffuse, mostly spherical halo of dark matter, hot gas and some stars envelops the entire architecture. Rebecca Boyle, Quanta Magazine, 24 Jan. 2024 In scenes with Adam’s parents, Ramsay deliberately used a strong backlight that would seep through the window and create a glow or a halo around Foy in particular. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 9 Jan. 2024 And the glint of its IPO halo helped boost sales all year, according to the company. Laura Bratton, Quartz, 27 Feb. 2024 This causes the comet to appear brighter by increasing the size of the fuzzy halo around it. Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2024 This halo, in turn, attracted enough gas and dust to begin forming our Milky Way’s earliest molecular clumps which eventually turned into stars. Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
Verb
Is the Milky Way’s dark matter halo a smooth schmear? Joshua Sokol, Quanta Magazine, 29 Aug. 2023 White dreads halo his dark, handsome face. Kathleen Ann Goonan, Discover Magazine, 10 Oct. 2012 The larger ones are steeply mountainous, volcanic, rising to almost 6,000 feet, their summits haloed in clouds. Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 May 2020 There is a none-too-subtle mystical vibe, from the ring lights that halo the massive trees on Amaya’s Bay Area campus to Forest’s cult-leader magnetism and the cold-burn fervor of his head acolyte, Katie (a quietly terrifying Alison Pill). James Poniewozik, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2020 Nine, the new album from Blink-182, a band forever associated with adolescence even though the members’ mean age is now 44, arrives haloed in that great teenage emotion: embarrassment. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2019 The landlady remains a cipher, and yet a faint aspect of loss haloes her. Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2019 Turner’s head is haloed by the sun, much like the moon during a solar eclipse. Marissa Fessenden, Smithsonian, 4 May 2018 At the time, Mikey was recovering from being neutered and was haloed by a large plastic dog cone around his neck. Marc Lester, adn.com, 16 May 2015

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'halo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin halos, from Greek halōs threshing floor, disk, halo

First Known Use

Noun

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1801, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of halo was in 1603

Dictionary Entries Near halo

Cite this Entry

“Halo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/halo. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

halo

noun
ha·​lo
ˈhā-lō
plural halos or haloes
1
: a circle of light around the sun or moon caused by the presence of tiny ice crystals in the air
2
3
: the atmosphere of glory or sentiment surrounding a person or thing considered perfect

Medical Definition

halo

noun
ha·​lo ˈhā-(ˌ)lō How to pronounce halo (audio)
plural halos or haloes
1
: a circle of light appearing to surround a luminous body
especially : one seen as the result of the presence of glaucoma
2
: a differentiated zone surrounding a central object
the halo around a boil
3
: the aura of glory, veneration, or sentiment surrounding an idealized person or thing
4
: an orthopedic device used to immobilize the head and neck (as to treat fracture of neck vertebrae) that consists of a metal band placed around the head and fastened to the skull usually with metal pins and that is attached by extensions to an inflexible vest

called also halo brace

More from Merriam-Webster on halo

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