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
  • Mahomes’ ugly interception came from pressure, but the decision to launch was ill-advised.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026
  • That the university is prepared to sacrifice a vital cultural resource in order to save a relatively small amount of money strikes me — and others as singularly short-sighted and ill-advised.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Elsewhere, Iran's Revolutionary Guard said a tanker caught fire early Wednesday after striking a naval mine while traveling along an unauthorized route through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Explain what happened and ask about protecting your account or disputing unauthorized charges.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 11 Nov. 2026
Adjective
  • Our Featured Artist Joost Stokhof captures his surroundings in spontaneous lines.
    — New York Times Games, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The format allows for spontaneous collaborations, with musicians building on one another’s ideas rather than following a predetermined concert program.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 5 Nov. 2026
Adjective
  • Tall grasses, subtropical forest, and birdsong envelop the property in 360-degree wilderness, encouraging an instinctive shift down a gear.
    — Luke Abrahams, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Like Irving Berlin, Miranda is an instinctive musician whose mistakes can be worth more than other people’s rules.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 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 14 Nov. 2026.

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