half hour

noun

1

: thirty minutes

2

: the middle point of an hour

half-hourly

ˈhaf-ˈau̇(-ə)r-lē 

ˈhäf-

adverb or adjective

Examples of half hour in a Sentence

Trains depart every half hour.

I waited a half hour in line.

Recent Examples on the Web

The shooting occurred about a half hour after sundown, authorities said. —Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2026

To ensure maximum crispiness, the company mandated new fries be baked every half hour. —Bloomberg, Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026

But my interpreter and guide, Alex Kotchev, a Bulgarian who has spent more than two decades living and eating attentively in Sapporo, steered me instead to Menya Saimi, in a sleepy residential neighborhood a half hour's subway ride from the city center. —Alex Halberstadt, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Feb. 2026

New volunteers must attend a training workshop, about three and half hours in length to learn about the program and begin to distinguish the different frog and toad calls. —Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch, 25 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for half hour

• bower
• cower
• dour
• flour
• flower
• fower
• glower
• our
• power
• scour
• shower
• sour

Kids Definition

half hour

noun

1

: thirty minutes

2

: the middle point of an hour

half-hourly

ˈhaf-ˈau̇(ə)r-lē, 

ˈhȧf-

adverb or adjective