half-cocked

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
  • Jokes have setups and punchlines; this was merely half-baked political analysis.
    Matt Fleming, Oc Register, 25 Sep. 2025
  • If that hasn’t been done, the AI will likely try to generate code, but the results will probably be half-baked and extremely sketchy.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Tellingly, Yu’s other pup kept a distance throughout, evidently aware that whatever Lily was up to was ill-advised.
    Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Carrie’s characterization is the adaptation’s biggest change, and its most ill-advised.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Instead, attackers gained unauthorized access to 5CA, one of Discord's third-party customer service providers.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2025
  • McBee pled guilty to one count of federal crop insurance fraud in November 2024, resulting in the reality star receiving $3,158,923 in unauthorized benefits.
    Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • However, unlike beer or cheese, where microbes are intentionally introduced and controlled, fermentation in cocoa beans is a spontaneous process and largely uncontrolled.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 Oct. 2025
  • And the Eagles are catching spontaneous migraines on third downs, ranking just 27th in converting them and 26th in defending them.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Having scored on his Serie A debut against Fiorentina with an impressive finish against former United goalkeeper David de Gea, Hojlund grabbed his second Serie A goal at the weekend with an instinctive finish to secure three points against Genoa in a 2-1 victory.
    Chris McKenna, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
  • That quiet, instinctive gesture of care — captured on video and later shared on TikTok — struck a chord with hundreds of thousands.
    Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Half-cocked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/half-cocked. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.

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