halfway house

noun

: a place to stop midway on a journey

: a halfway place in a progression

: 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

Example Sentences

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

Recent Examples on the Web After about a year in prison, Jung was eligible for transfer to a halfway house. —

Greg Jaffe, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Jan. 2023 They are also laced with a winning sly sense of humor and fun – a chocolate sandwich recipe presented with bird song in the background – which positions Chefclub at a halfway house between cooking and entertainment. —

John Hopewell, Variety, 11 Apr. 2022 Rutledge is headed to a halfway house, and has a job lined up. —

Ivana Hrynkiw | Ihrynkiw@al.com, al, 31 Jan. 2023 After about a year in prison, Jung was eligible for transfer to a halfway house. —

Greg Jaffe, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Jan. 2023 Act 419 removed exemptions for SNAP recipients aged 18 to 49 years old who don't have dependent children and are reentering society after being in prison, a halfway house or drug and alcohol treatment program. —

Arkansas Online, 2 Feb. 2023 Cannon also carried out another shooting on NFL’s behalf in January 2019, planning to shoot a person outside an East Baltimore halfway house. —

Cassidy Jensen, Baltimore Sun, 1 Nov. 2022 After about a year in prison, Jung was eligible for transfer to a halfway house. —

Greg Jaffe, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2023 The program is designed for men who have no other place to live when they are discharged from a halfway house or who are homeless. —

Deidre Montague, Hartford Courant, 5 Dec. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'halfway house.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1694, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of halfway house was in 1694

See more words from the same year

Dictionary Entries Near halfway house

halfway decent

halfway house

halfway through

See More Nearby Entries

Cite this Entry

Style

“Halfway house.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/halfway%20house. Accessed 22 Mar. 2023.

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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