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

And Gulf shrimp revenue was more than halved between 2021 and 2023 from from $489 million to $221 million. —Drew Hawkins, NPR, 26 May 2026

Lai’s earnings have halved in the past year. —Catherine Phillips, CNN Money, 24 May 2026

Whereas most handmade pasta in Italy is rolled out with a wooden dowel called a mattarello, every pass of su filindeu dough halves the width and doubles the number of strands. —New York Times, 19 May 2026

Property investment in the country has nearly halved since its peak in 2021. —Anniek Bao,evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 18 May 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