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

Place 3 avocados, halved, pits removed, cut side up, 2 plum tomatoes, halved through stem ends, cut side up, 1 bunch scallions, and 1 jalapeño on a rimmed baking sheet; drizzle lightly with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt. —Hana Asbrink, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 June 2026

The research, presented Monday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting, found that a personalized mRNA vaccine halved the risk of melanoma returning after five years. —Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 1 June 2026

The right reform is not to halve the cadence. —Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026

Cisco downsized its headcount by nearly 5% earlier this month and Block roughly halved its workforce in February. —Samantha Subin, CNBC, 29 May 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