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
  • Some of the app's settings and tools are half-baked, and their Bluetooth LE Audio support isn’t perfect.
    Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 26 Mar. 2026
  • The result has sparked major controversy since hitting Netflix, having promised viewers a vital look behind enemy lines and instead delivering a half-baked survey of Andrew Tate-era misogyny.
    Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Ament’s lawyers are now pushing to withdraw his guilty plea, saying he’d been ill-advised by his previous counsel.
    Victoria Le, Oc Register, 28 Feb. 2026
  • But his goalie interference penalty in the opening period was ill-advised.
    Arpon Basu, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Knowing that any unauthorized demonstrations are harshly suppressed, activists have tried to organize authorized rallies, plastered posters on walls and notice boards, and filed lawsuits.
    ABC News, ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Registration on the Principal Register provides nationwide constructive notice, a legal presumption of ownership, and the right to use the ® symbol — tools that matter when knockoffs and unauthorized merchandise inevitably appear.
    PJ Green April 8, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Street artists and fortune-tellers set up here daily, creating a scene that feels spontaneous every time.
    Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
  • With Venus and Uranus entering Gemini in your curious third house on April 24 and 25, sparks could fly through conversation, texts or spontaneous encounters.
    Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Having collaborated with a filmmaker for over thirty years, for whom the language of comedy is so instinctive, is one of the greatest joys of my professional life.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 7 Apr. 2026
  • The instinctive Moon lights your 5th House of Games, forming a flowing trine with imaginative Neptune in your 9th House of Journeys.
    Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 6 Apr. 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 13 Apr. 2026.

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