halftime

1 of 2

noun

half·​time ˈhaf-ˌtīm 

ˈhäf-

: an intermission between halves of a game or contest (as in football or basketball)

half-time

2 of 2

adjective

ˈhaf-ˌtīm 

ˈhäf-

: involving or working half the standard hours

half-time adverb

Examples of halftime in a Sentence

Noun

The score was tied at halftime.

The coaches discussed strategy during halftime.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Their lead was 22 at halftime, and the Indy crowd was electric. —Tony East, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025

The Indians led at halftime 5-1 before St. Thomas Aquinas staged a comeback behind two goals from Palmer and three from teammate Mia Layne. —Gary Curreri, Sun Sentinel, 20 June 2025

Adjective

And yet, in the blink of an eye, Madrid put together a pair of excellent attacking sequences to cut through Pachuca’s defence and take a 2-0 lead into half-time. —Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 22 June 2025

The chasm in quality was laid brutally bare as Bayern raced into a 6-0 lead at half-time courtesy of two goals each from Kingsley Coman and Michael Olise and one apiece from Sacha Boey and Thomas Mueller. —Dan Cancian, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1865, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1861, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for halftime

• airtime
• bedtime
• daytime
• downtime
• enzyme
• lifetime
• longtime
• lunchtime
• mealtime
• meantime
• nighttime
• noontime

Kids Definition

halftime

noun

half·​time ˈhaf-ˌtīm 

ˈhȧf-

: an intermission marking the completion of half of a game (as in football)