half

Plural

halves

Noun

Noun

×

A word that identifies a person, place, thing, or idea.

1. 1.One of two usually roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided, or considered as divided.

   • You don’t know the half of it.
   • Half (of) my friends live abroad.
   • I ate the smaller half of the apple.

2. 2.The fraction obtained by dividing 1 by 2.

   • Three-quarters minus a quarter is a half.

3. 3.Any of the three terms at Eton College, for Michaelmas, Lent, and summer.

4. 4.Half of a standard measure, chiefly:

   • I accepted a half of bitter from him.
   • He came back with a pint of Guinness for me and a half of bitter for Wendy.
   • Barrels came in firkins, nine gallons; kilderkins, eighteen gallons; halves, twenty-seven gallons; barrels, thirty-six gallons and hogsheads, fifty-four.

Adjective

Adjective

×

A word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun.

1. 1.Having one parent (rather than two) in common.

2. 2.Related through one common grandparent or ancestor rather than two.

3. 3.Consisting of a half (½, 50%).

   • China's population density used to be half that of Britain.

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

   • Assumed from thence a half-consent.

Overall

Common· #632

By learning goal

Everyday conversation

Uncommon

General reading & writing

Common

Academic

Rare

Literature

Uncommon

Word family

• halfway