half
- 01 A1 Beginner
n.one of two equal parts that make up a whole.
n.one of two equal or approximately equal parts into which a whole is or can be divided.
Simple“She gave half of her sandwich to her friend because he forgot his lunch.”
In context“The property was divided into two equal halves, with each sibling receiving a portion of the fertile farmland near the river.”
PitfallI cut the apple in two halfs. I cut the apple into two halves.The plural of 'half' is 'halves'.
- 02 A2 Elementary
n.one of the two main periods of time in a sports game.
n.either of the two equal periods into which a game is divided.
Simple“The team played much better in the second half and scored two goals.”
In context“After a scoreless first half, the coach made several tactical substitutions to increase the team's offensive pressure.”
- 03 B1 Intermediate
n.half a pint of beer or another drink.
n.a measure of liquid, specifically half a pint of beer or cider.
Simple“I'll just have a half of bitter, please, as I am driving later.”
In context“He ordered a half of local ale while waiting for his colleagues to arrive at the pub for the evening.”
Antonyms - 04 A2 Elementary
adj.being one of two equal parts of something.
adj.consisting of a half or approximately a half; partial in nature.
Simple“He drank a half glass of water before going for a run.”
In context“The project was left in a half-finished state after the primary investor suddenly withdrew their funding.”
Synonyms - 05 B1 Intermediate
adj.related through only one parent.
adj.sharing only one parent rather than two.
Simple“She has a half brother who lives in Australia.”
In context“Although they are half sisters, they grew up in the same household and remain exceptionally close as adults.”
Antonyms - 06 B1 Intermediate
adv.partly or not completely.
adv.to the extent of a half; partially or imperfectly.
Simple“I was half asleep when the phone rang this morning.”
In context“The instructions were only half understood, leading to several avoidable errors during the assembly process.”
Antonyms - 07 A2 Elementary
prep.thirty minutes past the hour.
prep.used to indicate thirty minutes past a specific hour; often used without 'past' in certain dialects.
Simple“The train leaves at half eight, so we should get to the station early.”
In context“In many parts of the UK, people say 'half six' to mean 6:30, which can confuse learners used to the full 'half past' construction.”
UsageIn British English, 'half' followed by a number (e.g., 'half ten') is a common shorthand for 'half past ten'.
Synonymshalf past - 08 C1 Advanced
interj.a call to tell actors that the show starts in thirty minutes.
interj.a traditional call given to performers thirty minutes before the commencement of a performance.
Simple“The stage manager shouted 'the half' to let the cast know it was time to get ready.”
In context“When the call for the half was announced, the lead actress began her final vocal warm-ups in the dressing room.”
Usage half a million · half a century · half an hour
From Middle English half, halfe from Old English healf (“half”); as a noun, 'half', 'side', 'part', from Proto-West Germanic halb, from Proto-Germanic halbaz. Cognates Cognate with Old Saxon, Old Frisian, and Old Dutch half, West Frisian heal, Dutch half, German halb, Swedish, Danish and Norwegian halv, Icelandic hálfur and Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐌱𐍃 (halbs). Compare halve, behalf.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.