half-cocked

Definition of half-cockednext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of half-cocked His paranoia, played with clumsy charm by a mustachioed and bleary-eyed Leonardo DiCaprio, is half-cocked and somewhat comical. David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025 That cycle has lasted decades, a past strewn with half-cocked plans, bankruptcies, struggling businesses, recriminations, and a neighborhood that refuses to give up on itself or surrender its personality. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 21 May 2025 And yet, all of a sudden, there was the commotion typical of when a manager walks into a room deep in a stadium as reporters rush to put their phones on the desk and stumble awkwardly, laptops half-cocked, back to their seats. James Horncastle, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024 The way reason permeated the front offices has bled onto the field, and the players are more reasonable, more rational and not likely to go off half-cocked. Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 25 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for half-cocked
Adjective
  • Asked about a half-baked, eleventh-hour Johnson administration idea for the city to take over the state agency that has overseen stadium financing in Illinois, Pritzker said no one from the mayor’s office had even contacted him about it.
    The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2026
  • Waiting until the last minute to force an idea is the surest way to churn out an essay that is half-baked and inauthentic.
    Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Adjective
  • However, long-term makeup storage is ill-advised.
    Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 17 June 2026
  • Of all the Yellowstone spinoffs, Dutton Ranch feels like the most can’t-miss — and maybe also the most ill-advised.
    Noel Murray, Vulture, 15 May 2026
Adjective
  • The department said the detectives who reported the affair violated three policies for conducting an unauthorized investigation and their use of Flock.
    Kelsy Mittauer, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Anthropic said a misconfiguration allowed Claude models to reach the internet from testing environments that were supposed to be isolated, leading to unauthorized access to three organizations’ systems.
    Reuters, NBC news, 31 July 2026
Adjective
  • One approach is spontaneous; the other is designed to create continuity over years.
    Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The convergence was striking, though not entirely spontaneous.
    Peter Hall, Scientific American, 31 July 2026
Adjective
  • The instinctive Moon in your 1st House of Self squares chatty Mercury in your 4th House of Home, so feelings could rush ahead in family talks, texts, or morning logistics.
    Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The instinctive response is often to absorb more work internally.
    Natalie Ruiz, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Half-cocked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/half-cocked. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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