: 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
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2024
The talented and tenacious Gamecocks (37-0) led by just one at halftime before putting their full arsenal on display in the third quarter.
—CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
Earlier in March, Bournemouth scored four second-half goals having trailed 3-0 at halftime to stun Luton Town, while in December Liverpool scored a quick-fire double in the 87th and 88th minutes to win 4-3 at home against Fulham.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
But Vermes maintained the halftime tweaks were more tactical and defense-focused.
—Scott Chasen, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2024
Collectively, the Bruins made one of 16 three-pointers before Jones buried one with five seconds left in the first half to prevent her team from going into halftime facing a double-digit deficit.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
The Aztecs allowed 10 offensive rebounds in last year’s final … and 12 at halftime Thursday night without Nathan Mensah, Keshad Johnson and Aguek Arop.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
Iowa State nearly erased a 10-point halftime deficit and had multiple chances to tie the game in the second half but ultimately fell 72-69 in the final game of Thursday's Sweet 16 play.
—USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
Zany Super Bowl prop bets such as whether Taylor Swift would make it from Tokyo in time to watch her boyfriend Travis Kelce play and what Usher’s first word would be during his halftime show fueled the focus on prop bets last month.
—Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
Ben Church, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
The Spanish keeper passed the ball straight to Rodrygo who willingly looped the ball over him into the net just before half-time.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The mass exodus only ramped up after Kai Havertz and Declan Rice made it 5-0 before half-time.
—Ben Church, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024
Natascha Augustin, who was named managing director of Warner Chappell Music Germany in January, started at the company as a half-time intern, rotating among various departments.
—Robert Levine, Billboard, 4 Mar. 2024
Her attendance at the Super Bowl came after half-time performer Usher was announced as the new face of her loungewear, shapewear and underwear brand.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024
In search of an equalizer, Kilgore substituted star striker Alex Morgan into the game at half-time, but the team couldn’t find a way to break down Mexico’s resilient defense.
—Ben Church, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024
Nuñez was brought off at half-time in what may prove to be yet another injury problem for the Reds, on a day where Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota also had to be substituted.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024
So does rapper and singer Jelly Roll, and the minute-long spot closes with the big game’s half-time performer, Usher.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Feb. 2024
Noun
The Heat entered halftime ahead by five and extended its lead to as many as 18 points in the second half.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2024
The talented and tenacious Gamecocks (37-0) led by just one at halftime before putting their full arsenal on display in the third quarter.
—CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
Earlier in March, Bournemouth scored four second-half goals having trailed 3-0 at halftime to stun Luton Town, while in December Liverpool scored a quick-fire double in the 87th and 88th minutes to win 4-3 at home against Fulham.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
But Vermes maintained the halftime tweaks were more tactical and defense-focused.
—Scott Chasen, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2024
Collectively, the Bruins made one of 16 three-pointers before Jones buried one with five seconds left in the first half to prevent her team from going into halftime facing a double-digit deficit.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
The Aztecs allowed 10 offensive rebounds in last year’s final … and 12 at halftime Thursday night without Nathan Mensah, Keshad Johnson and Aguek Arop.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
Iowa State nearly erased a 10-point halftime deficit and had multiple chances to tie the game in the second half but ultimately fell 72-69 in the final game of Thursday's Sweet 16 play.
—USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
Zany Super Bowl prop bets such as whether Taylor Swift would make it from Tokyo in time to watch her boyfriend Travis Kelce play and what Usher’s first word would be during his halftime show fueled the focus on prop bets last month.
—Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
Adjective
French forward Delphine Cascarino did finally open the scoring for Lyon but Benfica equalized before half-time to keep its faint hopes alive.
—Ben Church, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
The Spanish keeper passed the ball straight to Rodrygo who willingly looped the ball over him into the net just before half-time.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The mass exodus only ramped up after Kai Havertz and Declan Rice made it 5-0 before half-time.
—Ben Church, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024
Natascha Augustin, who was named managing director of Warner Chappell Music Germany in January, started at the company as a half-time intern, rotating among various departments.
—Robert Levine, Billboard, 4 Mar. 2024
Her attendance at the Super Bowl came after half-time performer Usher was announced as the new face of her loungewear, shapewear and underwear brand.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024
In search of an equalizer, Kilgore substituted star striker Alex Morgan into the game at half-time, but the team couldn’t find a way to break down Mexico’s resilient defense.
—Ben Church, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024
Nuñez was brought off at half-time in what may prove to be yet another injury problem for the Reds, on a day where Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota also had to be substituted.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024
So does rapper and singer Jelly Roll, and the minute-long spot closes with the big game’s half-time performer, Usher.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'halftime.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near halftime
Cite this Entry
“Halftime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/halftime. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
halftime
noun
half·time
ˈhaf-ˌtīm 
ˈhȧf-
: an intermission marking the completion of half of a game (as in football)
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