half

[half]

When something is divided into two equal sections, half is one of the two parts. You can split a brownie in half if you want to share it with your friend.

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Consisting of a moiety, or half; as, a half bushel; a half hour; a half dollar; a half view.

Noun
one of two equal parts of a divisible whole; "half a loaf"; "half an hour"; "a century and one half"

Noun
in various games or performances: either of two periods of play separated by an interval

Adjective
(of siblings) related through one parent only; "a half brother"; "half sister"

Adverb
partially or to the extent of a half; "he was half hidden by the bushes"

a.
Consisting of a moiety, or half; as, a half bushel; a half hour; a half dollar; a half view.

a.
Consisting of some indefinite portion resembling a half; approximately a half, whether more or less; partial; imperfect; as, a half dream; half knowledge.

adv.
In an equal part or degree; in some pa/ appro/mating a half; partially; imperfectly; as, half-colored, half done, half-hearted, half persuaded, half conscious.

a.
Part; side; behalf.

a.
One of two equal parts into which anything may be divided, or considered as divided; -- sometimes followed by of; as, a half of an apple.

v. t.
To halve. [Obs.] See Halve.

Half

Half , a. [AS. healf, half, half; as a noun, half, side, part; akin to OS., OFries., & D. half, G. halb, Sw. half, Dan. halv, Icel. h'belfr, Goth. halbs. Cf. Halve, Behalf.] 1. Consisting of a moiety, or half; as, a half bushel; a half hour; a half dollar; a half view. &hand; The adjective and noun are often united to form a compound. 2. Consisting of some indefinite portion resembling a half; approximately a half, whether more or less; partial; imperfect; as, a half dream; half knowledge.

Assumed from thence a half consent.

Half ape (Zo'94l.), a lemur. -- Half back. (Football) See under 2d Back. -- Half bent, the first notch, for the sear point to enter, in the tumbler of a gunlock; the halfcock notch. -- Half binding, a style of bookbinding in which only the back and corners are in leather. -- Half boarder, one who boards in part; specifically, a scholar at a boarding school who takes dinner only. -- Half-breadth plan (Shipbuilding), a horizontal plan of the half a vessel, divided lengthwise, showing the lines. -- Half cadence (Mus.), a cadence on the dominant. -- Half cap, a slight salute with the cap. [Obs.] Shak. -- A half cock, the position of the cock of a gun when retained by the first notch. -- Half hitch, a sailor's knot in a rope; half of a clove hitch. -- Half hose, short stockings; socks. -- Half measure, an imperfect or weak line of action. -- Half note (Mus.), a minim, one half of a semibreve. -- Half pay, half of the wages or salary; reduced pay; as, an officer on half pay. -- Half price, half the ordinary price; or a price much reduced. -- Half round. (a) (Arch.) A molding of semicircular section. (b) (Mech.) Having one side flat and the other rounded; -- said of a file. -- Half shift (Mus.), a position of the hand, between the open position and the first shift, in playing on the violin and kindred instruments. See Shift. -- Half step (Mus.), a semitone; the smallest difference of pitch or interval, used in music. -- Half tide, the time or state of the tide equally distant from ebb and flood. -- Half time, half the ordinary time for work or attendance; as, the half-time system. -- Half tint (Fine Arts), a middle or intermediate tint, as in drawing or painting. See Demitint. -- Half truth, a statement only partially true, or which gives only a part of the truth. Mrs. Browning. -- Half year, the space of six moths; one term of a school when there are two terms in a year.

Half

Half, adv. In an equal part or degree; in some pa appromating a half; partially; imperfectly; as, half-colored, half done, half-hearted, half persuaded, half conscious. "Half loth and half consenting." Dryden.

Their children spoke halfin the speech of Ashdod.

Half

Half , n.; pl. Halves . [AS. healf. See Half, a.] 1. Part; side; behalf. [Obs.] Wyclif.

The four halves of the house.

2. One of two equal parts into which anything may be divided, or considered as divided; -- sometimes followed by of; as, a half of an apple.

Not half his riches known, and yet despised.

A friendship so complete Portioned in halves between us.

Better half. See under Better. -- In half, in two; an expression sometimes used improperly instead of in ∨ into halves; as, to cut in half. [Colloq.] Dickens. -- In, ∨ On, one's half, in one's behalf; on one's part. [Obs.] -- To cry halves, to claim an equal share with another. -- To go halves, to share equally between two.

Half

Half, v. t. To halve. [Obs.] See Halve. Sir H. Wotton.

Consisting of a moiety, or half; as, a half bushel; a half hour; a half dollar; a half view.

Part; side; behalf.

To halve. [Obs.] See Halve.

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Usage Examples

A painting that is well composed is half finished.

About half my designs are controlled fantasy, 15 percent are total madness and the rest are bread-and-butter designs.

After having done this whole slew of press for 'Big Love,' now I'll have anxiety dreams for like a week and a half about all the stupid things I said. I can't even imagine being in front of the cameras all the time. I had a weird dream the other night that I was on 'Jersey Shore.'

Any education that matters is liberal. All the saving truths, all the healing graces that distinguish a good education from a bad one or a full education from a half empty one are contained in that word.

About half my work in education is U.S. political reform around school districts and charter schools, and creating more room for entrepreneurial organizations to develop. And about half on technology, which I look at as a global platform.

A month before graduation I got an off-Broadway job. Then I did some commercials, including one for MCI. You can only see half of me, but it paid well. Thank God for commercials.

An agent saw one of the plays I did at ACT, but my mom was like, No, she's too young. I became so annoying that a year and a half later she just couldn't stand hearing me any more!

A healthy male adult bore consumes each year one and a half times his own weight in other people's patience.

Misspelled Form

half, ghalf, yhalf, uhalf, jhalf, nhalf, galf, yalf, ualf, jalf, nalf, hgalf, hyalf, hualf, hjalf, hnalf, hqalf, hwalf, hsalf, hzalf, hqlf, hwlf, hslf, hzlf, haqlf, hawlf, haslf, hazlf, haklf, haolf, haplf, ha:lf, hakf, haof, hapf, ha:f, halkf, halof, halpf, hal:f, haldf, halrf, haltf, halgf, halvf, halcf, hald, halr, halt, halg, halv, halc, halfd, halfr, halft, halfg, halfv, halfc.

Other Usage Examples

And when a woman's will is as strong as the man's who wants to govern her, half her strength must be concealment.

A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.

A half truth, like half a brick, is always more forcible as an argument than a whole one. It carries better.

A lie which is half a truth is ever the blackest of lies.

A skilful leech is better far, than half a hundred men of war.

And I'm a slow writer: five, six hundred words is a good day. That's the reason it took me 20 years to write those million and a half words of the Civil War.

A person's character is but half formed till after wedlock.

A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted by android Barbie creep. All those thick swatches of lifeless strands clustering lankly round ladies' necks! Like orange tanning spray, this is a fashion fad that should be put out of its misery.