halve

verb

ˈhav 

ˈhäv

halved; halving

transitive verb

1

a

: to divide into two equal parts

b

: to reduce to one half

halving the present cost

c

: to share equally

2

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

I lost the next two holes to pars, then halved the fourth by missing an easy putt.

—David Owen

Examples of halve in a Sentence

The store is halving the price of many summer items.

Recent Examples on the Web

Failure rates are halving roughly every two to three years across the board, which translates to annual gains of 15 to 16 percentage points in success rates. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2026

In Australia, deaths from hepatitis C were almost halved compared with counter-factual estimates, and the program was found to be cost-saving over time. —Michael Rose, STAT, 3 Apr. 2026

Australia, which relies directly or indirectly on the blockaded Strait of Hormuz for much of its energy imports, has halved fuel taxes and encouraged the use of public transportation amid soaring gas prices. —Kevin Collier, NBC news, 2 Apr. 2026

And the number of destroyers has halved to six while the frigate fleet has been slashed from 60 to just 11. —ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from half half

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for halve

• calve
• have
• nav
• mohave

Kids Definition

halve

verb

ˈhav 

ˈhȧv

halved; halving

1

: to divide into two halves

2

: to reduce to one half

halving the cost