: an intermission between halves of a game or contest (as in football or basketball)
: involving or working half the standard hours
half-time
adverb
Examples of halftime in a Sentence
Noun
The score was tied at halftime.
The coaches discussed strategy during halftime.
Recent Examples on the Web
Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 28 Apr. 2024
The Current made two substitutions at halftime, bringing on Hailie Mace at right back and Cooper on the right wing.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 27 Apr. 2024
Trailing by three points at halftime, the Heat outscored the Celtics 27-18 in the third quarter to take control of the game and enter the fourth quarter ahead by six points.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2024
The building had fallen silent midway through the second quarter when the Lakers actually led by a dozen and then dramatically held on to a three-point halftime lead after LeBron James sank a deep trey just before the buzzer.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024
The Kings went up 45-35 on a basket by Murray and carried a 54-45 lead into the halftime break.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 13 Apr. 2024
The broadcast featured knowledgeable, engaging announcers; a sparkling, savvy studio crew doing the halftime report; and an alternate broadcast hosted by two of the greatest players ever, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2024
James dished 13 assists in the first half, which marked a new career high in a half for the 21-year NBA veteran, leading the Lakers to a 70-53 lead at halftime.
—Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 14 Apr. 2024
Julius Peppers and Mushin Muhammad were inducted into the franchise’s Hall of Honor and expressed gratitude and amazement at halftime.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2024
Ben Church, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
The Spanish keeper passed the ball straight to Rodrygo who willingly looped the ball over him into the net just before half-time.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The mass exodus only ramped up after Kai Havertz and Declan Rice made it 5-0 before half-time.
—Ben Church, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024
Natascha Augustin, who was named managing director of Warner Chappell Music Germany in January, started at the company as a half-time intern, rotating among various departments.
—Robert Levine, Billboard, 4 Mar. 2024
Her attendance at the Super Bowl came after half-time performer Usher was announced as the new face of her loungewear, shapewear and underwear brand.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024
In search of an equalizer, Kilgore substituted star striker Alex Morgan into the game at half-time, but the team couldn’t find a way to break down Mexico’s resilient defense.
—Ben Church, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024
Nuñez was brought off at half-time in what may prove to be yet another injury problem for the Reds, on a day where Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota also had to be substituted.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024
So does rapper and singer Jelly Roll, and the minute-long spot closes with the big game’s half-time performer, Usher.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Feb. 2024
Noun
The Lakers had 44 points in the paint during the first half alone on their way to a 61-48 halftime lead, their fourth halftime advantage of the series.
—Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 28 Apr. 2024
The Current made two substitutions at halftime, bringing on Hailie Mace at right back and Cooper on the right wing.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 27 Apr. 2024
Trailing by three points at halftime, the Heat outscored the Celtics 27-18 in the third quarter to take control of the game and enter the fourth quarter ahead by six points.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2024
The building had fallen silent midway through the second quarter when the Lakers actually led by a dozen and then dramatically held on to a three-point halftime lead after LeBron James sank a deep trey just before the buzzer.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024
The Kings went up 45-35 on a basket by Murray and carried a 54-45 lead into the halftime break.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 13 Apr. 2024
The broadcast featured knowledgeable, engaging announcers; a sparkling, savvy studio crew doing the halftime report; and an alternate broadcast hosted by two of the greatest players ever, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2024
James dished 13 assists in the first half, which marked a new career high in a half for the 21-year NBA veteran, leading the Lakers to a 70-53 lead at halftime.
—Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 14 Apr. 2024
Julius Peppers and Mushin Muhammad were inducted into the franchise’s Hall of Honor and expressed gratitude and amazement at halftime.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2024
Adjective
French forward Delphine Cascarino did finally open the scoring for Lyon but Benfica equalized before half-time to keep its faint hopes alive.
—Ben Church, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
The Spanish keeper passed the ball straight to Rodrygo who willingly looped the ball over him into the net just before half-time.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The mass exodus only ramped up after Kai Havertz and Declan Rice made it 5-0 before half-time.
—Ben Church, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024
Natascha Augustin, who was named managing director of Warner Chappell Music Germany in January, started at the company as a half-time intern, rotating among various departments.
—Robert Levine, Billboard, 4 Mar. 2024
Her attendance at the Super Bowl came after half-time performer Usher was announced as the new face of her loungewear, shapewear and underwear brand.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024
In search of an equalizer, Kilgore substituted star striker Alex Morgan into the game at half-time, but the team couldn’t find a way to break down Mexico’s resilient defense.
—Ben Church, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024
Nuñez was brought off at half-time in what may prove to be yet another injury problem for the Reds, on a day where Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota also had to be substituted.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024
So does rapper and singer Jelly Roll, and the minute-long spot closes with the big game’s half-time performer, Usher.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'halftime.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near halftime
Cite this Entry
“Halftime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/halftime. Accessed 5 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
halftime
noun
half·time
ˈhaf-ˌtīm 
ˈhȧf-
: an intermission marking the completion of half of a game (as in football)
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