halfway house

noun

1

a

: a place to stop midway on a journey

b

: a halfway place in a progression

2

: a residence for individuals after release from institutionalization (as for mental illness, drug addiction, or criminal activity) that is designed to facilitate their readjustment to private life

Examples of halfway house in a Sentence

The car is the perfect halfway house between a family caravan and luxury sedan.

Recent Examples on the Web

He was released in April and is now living in a halfway house in Gainesville. — Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 June 2026

She was released to a halfway house in Alabama in January. — Christie Thompson, NPR, 17 June 2026

This was the case for Trevor Dixon, who enrolled in the program after he was released from incarceration to a halfway house in November 2021. — Emilia Otte, Hartford Courant, 13 June 2026

Democrats call for closure The two-story facility, built in 2000 and sitting on nearly 227,000 square feet, served as an immigrant detention center between 2011 and 2017 before becoming a drug treatment center and halfway house. — Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 30 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for halfway house

• boardinghouse
• charterhouse
• clearinghouse
• coffeehouse
• customhouse
• firehouse
• meetinghouse
• motherhouse
• packinghouse
• pilothouse
• powerhouse
• slaughterhouse

Kids Definition

halfway house

noun

: a place that provides living quarters and usually counseling to persons who have left an institution (as a prison or mental hospital) but are not ready to live in the community

Medical Definition

halfway house

noun

half·​way house ˈhaf-ˈwā-, ˈhȧf- 

: a center for individuals after institutionalization (as for mental illness or drug addiction) that is designed to facilitate their readjustment to private life

Legal Definition

halfway house

noun

half·​way house

: a residence for formerly institutionalized individuals (as mental patients, drug addicts, or convicts) that is designed to facilitate their readjustment to private life