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 sentenced to 15 years but was released to a halfway house in January 1981, according to court records. Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 After three years and 10 months in prison, Winkle was released this spring to a halfway house and then to monitored detention at his sister’s home in Blue Lake. Peter Hecht, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024 In January 2022, a federal judge sentenced Crase and Williams to three years of probation and 15 days of intermittent confinement, which was to be served at a jail or halfway house over the course of five weekends. The Courier-Journal, 5 Jan. 2024 Several days after the murder, a detective stopped at a halfway house to question Anthony Francis Pepito, a Balistrieri employee who’d been convicted of armed burglary and other crimes. Journal Sentinel, 17 Jan. 2024 McFarland was subsequently transferred to a halfway house for community confinement and has since been on supervised release. Jessica Wang, EW.com, 21 Aug. 2023 Delays in implementation have been caused by early misinterpretation of the law, computer glitches and a shortage of halfway house capacity. Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 After rehab, Kelley Deal landed at a halfway house in St. Paul, Minn. Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023 This fiscal year, lawmakers allocated $87.7 million — nearly 16% of the state’s public safety budget — to the state’s 26 halfway houses. Moe Clark, ProPublica, 1 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'halfway house.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of halfway house was in 1648

Dictionary Entries Near halfway house

Cite this Entry

“Halfway house.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/halfway%20house. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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- How to pronounce halfway house (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on halfway house

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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