13 PHRASE If two people go halves , they divide the cost of something equally between them. □ At the end of the meal, she offered to go halves.
14 half the battle → see battle COLLOCATIONS half NOUN
1
adjective + half : first, latter, second; bottom, left, right, upper; eastern, northern, southern, western
2
adjective + half : first, opening, second
verb + half : dominate; start
ha lf-ba ked ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe an idea or plan as half-baked , you mean that it has not been properly thought out, and so is stupid or impractical. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ This is another half-baked scheme that isn't going to work.
ha lf boa rd N‑UNCOUNT If you stay at a hotel and have half board , your breakfast and evening meal are included in the price of your stay at the hotel, but not your lunch. [mainly BRIT ]
ha lf-brother (half-brothers ) N‑COUNT Someone's half-brother is a boy or man who has either the same mother or the same father as they have.
ha lf-caste (half-castes ) ADJ Someone who is half-caste has parents who come from different races. [mainly BRIT , OFFENSIVE ]
ha lf-da y (half-days ) also half day N‑COUNT A half-day is a day when you work only in the morning or in the afternoon, but not all day.
ha lf-hea rted ADJ If someone does something in a half-hearted way, they do it without any real effort, interest, or enthusiasm. □ The previous owner had made a half-hearted attempt at renovating the place. ● half-heartedly ADV [ADV with v] □ I can't do anything half-heartedly. I have to do everything 100 per cent.
ha lf-life (half-lives ) also half life N‑COUNT The half-life of a radioactive substance is the amount of time that it takes to lose half its radioactivity.
ha lf-ma st PHRASE If a flag is flying at half-mast , it is flying from the middle of the pole, not the top, to show respect and sorrow for someone who has just died.
ha lf mea s|ure (half measures ) also half-measure N‑COUNT [usu pl] If someone refers to policies or actions as half measures , they are critical of them because they think that they are not forceful enough and are therefore of little value. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ They have already declared their intention to fight on rather than settle for half-measures.
ha lf note (half notes ) N‑COUNT A half note is a musical note that has a time value equal to two quarter notes. [AM ] in BRIT, use minim
half|penny /he I pni/ (halfpennies or halfpence /he I pəns/) N‑COUNT A halfpenny was a small British coin which was worth half a penny.
ha lf-pri ce
1 ADJ [v-link ADJ , ADJ n, ADJ after v] If something is half-price , it costs only half what it usually costs. □ Main courses are half price from 12.30pm to 2pm. □ Mind you, a half-price suit still cost $400. □ We can get in half-price.
2 N‑UNCOUNT [usu at/for N ] If something is sold at or for half-price , it is sold for only half of what it usually costs. □ By yesterday she was selling off stock at half price. □ They normally charge three hundred pounds but we got it for half price.
ha lf-sister (half-sisters ) N‑COUNT [oft poss N ] Someone's half-sister is a girl or woman who has either the same mother or the same father as they have.
ha lf-te rm (half-terms ) also half term N‑VAR [oft at N ] Half-term is a short holiday in the middle of a school term. [BRIT ] □ There was no play school at half term, so I took them both to the cinema. □ …the half-term holidays.
ha lf-ti mbered ADJ Half-timbered is used to describe old buildings that have wooden beams showing in the brick and plaster walls, both on the inside and the outside of the building.
ha lf-ti me N‑UNCOUNT Half-time is the short period of time between the two parts of a sporting event such as a football, rugby, or basketball game, when the players have a short rest.
ha lf-truth (half-truths ) also half truth N‑COUNT If you describe statements as half-truths , you mean that they are only partly based on fact and are intended or likely to deceive people. □ The article had been full of errors and half truths.
half|way /hɑː fwe I , [AM ] hæ f-/ also half-way
1 ADV [oft ADV after v] Halfway means in the middle of a place or between two points, at an equal distance from each of them. □ Half-way across the car-park, he noticed she was walking with her eyes closed. □ He was halfway up the ladder.
2 ADV Halfway means in the middle of a period of time or of an event. □ By then, it was October and we were more than halfway through our tour. ● ADJ [ADJ n] Halfway is also an adjective. □ The Welsh cyclist was third fastest at the halfway point.
3 PHRASE If you meet someone halfway , you accept some of the points they are making so that you can come to an agreement with them. □ The Democrats are willing to meet the president halfway.
4 ADV [ADV adj] Halfway means reasonably. [INFORMAL ] □ You need hard currency to get anything halfway decent.
ha lf|way hou se (halfway houses )
1 N‑SING A halfway house is an arrangement or thing that has some of the qualities of two different things. □ The results sound like a halfway house between a piano and an electric guitar.
2 N‑COUNT A halfway house is a home for people such as former prisoners, mental patients, or drug addicts who can stay there for a limited period of time to get used to life outside prison or hospital.
half|wit /hɑː fw I t, [AM ] hæ f-/ (halfwits ) also half-wit