: an intermission between halves of a game or contest (as in football or basketball)
: 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
Mike Jones, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
On Iowa State’s next possession, TCU senior safety Bud Clark came up with a massive interception right before the two-minute timeout, giving TCU a great opportunity to seize control of the game with the Horned Frogs getting the ball at halftime.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Nov. 2025
Art De Roché, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
After performing at the FIFA Club World Cup half-time show final and dropping Mixteip earlier this summer, J Balvin took the stage at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for halftime
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
In Week 5, Matthew Stafford passed for 389 yards and three touchdowns, but the Rams converted on only four of 10 third downs, and after taking a 17-7 lead into halftime, managed only nine points in the final two quarters and overtime.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
On Iowa State’s next possession, TCU senior safety Bud Clark came up with a massive interception right before the two-minute timeout, giving TCU a great opportunity to seize control of the game with the Horned Frogs getting the ball at halftime.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
Gyokeres was taken off at half-time after opening the scoring for Arsenal at Turf Moor.
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
After performing at the FIFA Club World Cup half-time show final and dropping Mixteip earlier this summer, J Balvin took the stage at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for halftime
Cite this Entry
“Halftime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/halftime. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
halftime
noun
half·time
ˈhaf-ˌtīm 
ˈhȧf-
: an intermission marking the completion of half of a game (as in football)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share