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

In France, linear TV viewing among 25-49-year-olds has more than halved since 2015. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026

At a birthing center in Rautahat’s municipality of Dewahi Gonahi, the number of women coming for prenatal checks has halved since the funding cuts, says the officer in charge, Kishori Shah. — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026

Just six vessels passed through Hormuz on Monday, compared to a prewar average of more than 130; Bab el-Mandeb’s throughput had already halved before yesterday’s attacks. — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 12 Aug. 2026

This shift will halve the plant’s overall carbon footprint, preventing roughly 80,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions annually. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 11 Aug. 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