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

Police responded to the halfway house after Grayson missed multiple appointments later in the day and found that she had been strangled. —Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2026

Phay’s family bumped into Duprey at a restaurant when he’d been moved to the halfway house. —Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 2 Mar. 2026

In August 2014, Mundt was released from prison to a halfway house after serving half of his eight-year sentence, the Courier Journal reported. —Kirby Adams, Louisville Courier Journal, 20 Feb. 2026

According to court records, Waltz served nearly six months of the 10-month sentence in a federal prison in Kentucky before being released to a halfway house for four weeks and home confinement for two more. —Alexandria Burris, IndyStar, 11 Feb. 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