half-assed; half-assing; half-asses
informal + impolite
: to do (something) poorly due to lack of care or effort
In moments where you see your son half-assing something, it's important to call him out to ensure he's putting forth his best effort.—Chris Illuminati
less common variant of half-assed
1
informal + impolite
: lacking significance, adequacy, or completeness
… a half-assed attempt at generative semantics.—James D. McCawley
Note how they want and get full credit for every little half-ass act of generosity they perform.—George Garrett
Several jets were indeed clogged, and it took about five minutes to do a half-assed job of cleaning them out, good enough to get them through until tomorrow and a more thorough cleaning.—Richard Russo
2
informal + impolite
: lacking intelligence, character, or effectiveness
… said that the Administration had no intention of allowing "a bunch of half-assed people to send foreigners into combat."—Seymour M. Hersh
… had been beaten up by every half-assed bully all through his miserable childhood …—Joseph Wambaugh
Cite this Entry
“Half-ass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/half-ass. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.
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