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

Bridgerton, Wednesday and Squid Game had their most-recent seasons halved. —Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025

China is dealing with entrenched deflation, record youth unemployment, and a real estate market that has halved in just four years. —Charlie Campbell, Time, 16 Oct. 2025

The office was down to about 165 employees after mass firings that nearly halved the Education Department in March. —Nino Paoli, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey report for August, which was released on Tuesday, showed that construction job openings were nearly halved, plunging by 115,000 roles — the second-largest drop on record. —Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025

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