halve

verb

ˈhav 

ˈhäv

halved; halving

transitive verb

1

a

: to divide into two equal parts

b

: to reduce to one half

halving the present cost

c

: to share equally

2

golf : to play (a hole, round, or match) in the same number of strokes as one's opponent

I lost the next two holes to pars, then halved the fourth by missing an easy putt.

—David Owen

Examples of halve in a Sentence

The store is halving the price of many summer items.

Recent Examples on the Web

Courage forward Ashley Sanchez appeared to halve the lead with a free kick goal in the 50th minute, but it was called back after a video review. — ABC News, 11 July 2026

Last month, the International Air Transport Association warned global airline profitability was expected to halve this year as the industry's fuel bills surge. — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 10 July 2026

According to the company, this design doubles the heat-exchange surface and halves the distance heat must travel. — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 8 July 2026

Repeat homebuyers' annual purchase price growth halved, slowing to 5% from about 10%. — Medora Lee, USA Today, 7 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from half half

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for halve

• calve
• have
• nav
• mohave

Kids Definition

halve

verb

ˈhav 

ˈhȧv

halved; halving

1

: to divide into two halves

2

: to reduce to one half

halving the cost