half

Syllabification: (half)

Pronunciation: /haf/

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Definition of half

noun (plural halves /havz/)

either of two equal or corresponding parts into which something is or can be divided:the northern half of the island two and a half years divided in half reduced by half
either of two equal periods of time into which a sports game or a performance is divided.
Golf a score for an individual hole that is the same as one’s opponent’s.
short for halfback.

predeterminer , pronoun , & adjective

an amount equal to a half: [as predeterminer]:half an hour almost half the children turned up [as pronoun]:half of the lectures are delivered by him [as adjective]:the last half century
amounting to a part thought of as roughly a half: [as predeterminer]:half the letters were sent first class [as pronoun]:half of them are gate-crashers

adverb

to the extent of half:the glass was half full
[often in combination] to a certain extent; partly:the chicken is half-cooked

Phrases

a —— and a half: informal used to indicate that one considers a particular person or thing to be an impressive example of their kind:Aunt Edie was a woman and a half
at half cock: see half cock.
go halves: share something equally:she promised to go halves with him
half the battle: see battle.
half a chance: informal the slightest opportunity:given half a chance, he can make anything work
half an eye: see eye.
the half of it: [usually with negative] informal the most important part or aspect of something:you don’t know the half of it
half past one (two, etc.): thirty minutes after one (two, etc.) o’clock.
half the time: see time.
not do things by halves: do things thoroughly or extravagantly.
not half
too —— by half: used to emphasize something bad:the idea seems too superstitious by half

Origin:

Old English half, healf, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch half and German halb (adjectives). The earliest meaning of the Germanic base was 'side', also a noun sense in Old English

Change the -f to -ves to make the plurals of nouns that end in a consonant or a single vowel plus -f or -fe: (halves).

half in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of half in the British & World English dictionary

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Other

half

noun (plural halves /havz/)

predeterminer , pronoun , & adjective

adverb

Phrases

a —— and a half

at half cock

go halves

half the battle

half a chance

half an eye

the half of it

half past one (two, etc.)

half the time

not do things by halves

not half

too —— by half

Origin:

half in other Oxford dictionaries

Nearby words

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