Word
halve
US/ˈhæv/
UK/hˈɑːv/
Definition
v. to cut or divide something into two equal parts, or to make something half as big as before. You use it when you talk about reducing a number or amount by half.
v. to divide into two equal parts; to reduce to half the original size, number, or amount.
Examples
“I halve the apple for my two kids.”
“The cook halves the recipe to make dinner for two instead of four.”
“The council voted to halve funding for the new bridge, forcing architects to redesign the project with cheaper materials.”
Examples
simple
“I halve the apple for my two kids.”
contextual
“The cook halves the recipe to make dinner for two instead of four.”
complex
“The council voted to halve funding for the new bridge, forcing architects to redesign the project with cheaper materials.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “halve” in context.
Verb
01. halve cost
“Buying in bulk can halve the cost of school supplies.”
verb + noun
02. halve price
“The shop halved the price of winter coats in January.”
verb + noun
03. halve risk
“Wearing a helmet can halve the risk of serious injury.”
verb + noun
Adjective
04. almost halve
“The new treatment can almost halve recovery time after surgery.”
adv + verb
05. easily halve
“You can easily halve your bill by cooking at home.”
adv + verb
Noun
06. halve in length
“The queue halved in length when they opened another till.”
verb + prep + noun
07. halve in size
“The ice cube halved in size in my warm drink.”
verb + prep + noun
08. halve into two
“Halve the dough into two for two small pizzas.”
verb + prep + num
09. halve into two equal parts
“Halve the apple into two equal parts for the children.”
10. halve the cooking time
“Cutting the potatoes small will halve the cooking time.”
11. halve the number of cars
“The city plans to halve the number of cars downtown.”
12. halve the price of tickets
“The airline halved the price of tickets for students.”
Usage
Transitive; takes a direct object naming the thing divided or reduced.
Pitfall
I want to half the cake
I want to halve the cake
Half is the noun form; halve is the verb — learners often use the noun spelling for the verb.
Real-World Examples
“More than half of new starts are now for over-25s and the number of under-19s enrolling has almost halved in a decade.” “Lankshear was then introduced at half-time and inspired a fightback, levelling for Boro with his 11th goal of the campaign after Tommy Conway had halved the deficit.” “Yéremy Pino halved the deficit five minutes after the break before Pavel Sulc restored the Ligue 1 side’s two-goal advantage.” “The World Health Organization has set an ambitious target to halve snakebite mortality and disability by 2030 .” Etymology
From Middle English halven, helven, from Old English hilfan, helfan, hielfan (“to halve, divide in two”), from Proto-West Germanic halbijan, from Proto-Germanic halbijaną (“to halve”), from Proto-Germanic halbaz (“half”). Cognate with Middle Dutch halven (“to halve”), Middle High German halben, helben (“to halve”). Compare also West Frisian helte (“to halve”), Dutch halveren (“to halve”), German Low German halberen (“to halve”), German halbieren (“to halve”), Danish halvere (“to halve”), Swedish halvera (“to halve”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Antonyms
Related words
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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