halfway

1 of 2

adverb

half·​way ˈhaf-ˈwā 

ˈhäf-

: midway between two points

At length the cat steps halfway out the door, showing his spotted brown coat and the stripes on his legs.

—Paul Comstock

halfway

2 of 2

adjective

1

: midway between two points

at the halfway point/mark

2

: partial

a halfway solution

Synonyms of halfway

Adjective

• incomplete
• half
• partial
• deficient

Examples of halfway in a Sentence

Adjective

She was leading at the halfway mark of the race.

We're halfway toward completing the project.

They're only offering halfway measures, not a real solution.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

If the image is genuine and already halfway around Reddit, there is nothing left to hide and everything to lose by acting otherwise, so the honest move is to name what happened plainly and let the daylight do its work. — Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

There’s a long scar along here (holds his arm to the camera and traces his vein path halfway up his forearm) because there’s a plate in there. — Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 10 July 2026

Adjective

The Pirates are 9 1/2 games behind the National League Central Division leading Milwaukee Brewers – but only two games out of a playoff spot at the halfway point in the season. — Chuck Murr, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

Dude’s pretty darn good with halfway decent quarterback play. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 24 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Middle English half wey, from half half entry 2 + wey way entry 1

Adjective

derivative of halfway entry 1

First Known Use

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1644, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing halfway

• halfway around/across the world
• halfway decent
• halfway house
• halfway through
• meet halfway

Rhymes for halfway

• airway
• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• assez
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway

Kids Definition

halfway

adjective

half·​way -ˈwā 

1

: midway between two points

stop at the halfway mark

2

: partial sense 3

halfway measures

halfway adverb