halfway house 
noun
1The halfway point in a progression: suspension of the talks was only a halfway house towards complete termination...
- Although this leaves the franchise operators in place, it represents a significant step towards a halfway house re-nationalised railway system, at least in Scotland.
- There was no halfway house, no progress towards something different.
- Campaigners argued the plan was a halfway house towards privatisation.
1.1British A compromise between two different or opposing views or courses of action: the formula seems a good halfway house and avoids another row...
- There will be calls for a compromise, a halfway house between these two extremes.
- As I mentioned in my last offering, I do not view agnosticism as a halfway house between Atheism and theism.
- Joe's is a halfway house for those seeking something slightly different to the all too familiar and mass-produced central cafes and not quite as interesting as the more exotic offering further up the road.
2A centre for rehabilitating former prisoners, psychiatric patients, or others unused to non-institutional life.Are viewers likely to be sympathetic to people with mental illness or to welcome warmly (or even with a neutral reaction) psychiatric halfway houses or day-treatment centers in their community?...
- People living in a quiet neighborhood receive notice of a proposal to use a nearby residence as a psychiatric halfway house.
- I just had the urge to audition for this variety show - all made up of recovering people - that was going to tour jails, prisons and halfway houses.
3 historical An inn midway between two towns.By staying in this half-way house, the guests all have a chance to rectify the errors that they've made in their own lives during the past year....
- It was built in 1825 as an Inn/Halfway House for travellers.