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

Low-altitude system could halve maritime rescue response times Tests indicate that AutoFlight’s low-altitude system allows eVTOL aircraft to reach offshore platforms up to 93 miles away in under an hour – over 10 times faster than conventional transport. —Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 23 Nov. 2025

The new form of government would’ve halved the size of the city’s current 12-member council — eliminating six positions. —Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 18 Nov. 2025

Meanwhile, halve each potato and score the flesh by making a crosshatch pattern about ⅛-inch deep. —Endia Fontanez, AZCentral.com, 18 Nov. 2025

And Hentschel says that HotelPlanner’s data shows that airfares from the US to Spain have almost halved since their summer peak. —Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 15 Nov. 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