half
noun /hɑːf/
/hæf/
(plural halves
Idioms /hɑːvz/
/hævz/
)- two and a half kilos (= 2½)
- One and a half hours are allowed for the exam.
- An hour and a half is allowed for the exam.
- half of something in the first half of the 20th century
- The second half of the book is more exciting.
- The two halves of the city were reunited in 1990.
- the left half of the brain
- the lower half of the window
- the northern half of the country
- in half I've divided the money in half.
- by half We'll need to reduce the weight by half.
Grammar Point half / whole / quarterhalf / whole / quartersee also halve- Quarter, half and whole can all be nouns:
- Cut the apple into quarters.
- Two halves make a whole.
- Whole is also an adjective:
- I’ve been waiting here for a whole hour.
- Half is also a determiner:
- Half (of) the work is already finished.
- They spent half the time looking for a parking space.
- Her house is half a mile down the road.
- I waited for half an hour
- I waited for a half an hour.
- Half can also be used as an adverb:
- This meal is only half cooked.
Extra Examples- Cut the remaining half into large chunks.
- Over a half of all accidents happen in the home.
- She's four and a half years old now.
- in the latter half of the 19th century
- the rear half of the car
- We split the work half and half.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- first
- second
- last
- …
- by half
- in half
- in the… half
- …
- about half
- almost half
- around half
- …
- in the… half No goals were scored in the first half.
- half of something She played well in the second half of the match.
- He made two superb saves in the first two minutes of the half.
- We had a few chances to score in both halves.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- first
- second
- last
- …
- by half
- in half
- in the… half
- …
- about half
- almost half
- around half
- …
- (also half back, North American English halfback)one of the defending players in hockey or rugby whose position is between those who play at the front of a team and those who play at the back see also scrum half
- (also half back, North American English halfback, tailback)one of the two attacking players in american football whose position is behind the quarterback and next to the full backs
- (also half back, North American English halfback)[uncountable] the position a half back plays at (also called a tailback in american football)
- (British English, informal) half a pint (= 0.568 of a litre in the UK and some other countries, and 0.473 of a litre in the US) of beer or a similar drink
- Two halves of bitter, please.
More Like This Silent lettersSilent letters- gnarled
- gnash
- gnat
- gnaw
- gnome
- haute cuisine
- heir
- herb
- honour
- hors d’oeuvre
- hour
- knack
- knee
- kneel
- knife
- knight
- knit
- knob
- knock
- knot
- know
- knuckle
- psalm
- psephology
- psychic
- ptarmigan
- pterodactyl
- psychology
- wrangle
- wrap
- wreath
- wreck
- wrench
- wrestle
- wriggle
- wring
- write
- wrong
- bomb
- climb
- crumb
- doubt
- lamb
- limb
- ascent
- fascinate
- muscle
- scene
- scissors
- height
- right
- sleigh
- weight
- align
- campaign
- design
- foreign
- malign
- reign
- unfeigned
- balmy
- calm
- calf
- half
- yolk
- autumn
- column
- condemn
- damn
- hymn
- solemn
- bristle
- fasten
- listen
- mortgage
- soften
- thistle
- wrestle
- biscuit
- build
- circuit
- disguise
- guilty
- league
- rogue
- vague
- yacht
- answer
- sword
- two
Word OriginOld 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.
Idioms
and a half
- (informal) bigger, better, more important, etc. than usual
- That was a game and a half!
do nothing/not do anything by halves
- to do whatever you do completely and to the greatest possible degree
- You're expecting twins? Well, you never did do anything by halves.
go half and half | go halves (with somebody)
- to share the cost of something equally with somebody
- We go halves on all the bills.
the half of it
- used in negative sentences to say that a situation is worse or more complicated than somebody thinks
- ‘It sounds very difficult.’ ‘You don't know the half of it.’
have a good mind to do something | have half a mind to do something
- used to say that you think you will do something, although you are not sure
- I've half a mind to come with you tomorrow.
- used to say that you think that what somebody has done is bad and should do something about it, although you probably will not
- I've a good mind to write and tell your parents about it.
how the other half lives
- the way of life of a different social group, especially one much richer than you
it’s six of one and half a dozen of the other
- (saying) used to say that there is not much real difference between two possible choicesTopics Preferences and decisionsc2
time and a half
- one and a half times the usual rate of pay
- We get time and a half on Sundays.
too clever, etc. by half
- (British English, informal, disapproving) clever, etc. in a way that annoys you or makes you not trust somebody/something