halo /he I loʊ/ (haloes or halos )
1 N‑COUNT A halo is a circle of light that is shown in pictures round the head of a holy figure such as a saint or angel.
2 N‑COUNT A halo is a circle of light round a person or thing, or something that looks like a circle of light. □ The sun had a faint halo round it. [Also + of ]
halt ◆◇◇ /hɔː lt/ (halts , halting , halted )
1 VERB When a person or a vehicle halts or when something halts them, they stop moving in the direction they were going and stand still. □ [V ] They halted at a short distance from the house. □ [V n] She held her hand out flat, to halt him.
2 VERB When something such as growth, development, or activity halts or when you halt it, it stops completely. □ [V n] Striking workers halted production at the auto plant yesterday. □ [V ] The flow of assistance to Vietnam's fragile economy from its ideological allies has virtually halted.
3 VERB ' Halt! ' is a military order to stop walking or marching and stand still. □ [V ] The colonel ordered 'Halt!'
4 PHRASE If someone calls a halt to something such as an activity, they decide not to continue with it or to end it immediately. □ The Russian government had called a halt to the construction of a new project in the Rostov region.
5 PHRASE If someone or something comes to a halt , they stop moving. □ The elevator creaked to a halt at the ground floor.
6 PHRASE If something such as growth, development, or activity comes or grinds to a halt or is brought to a halt , it stops completely. □ Her political career came to a halt in December 1988. COLLOCATIONS halt VERB 2
halt + noun : construction, production, growth; decline, slide, spread
halt + adverb : abruptly, briefly, suddenly, temporarily
hal|ter /hɔː ltə r / (halters ) N‑COUNT A halter is a piece of leather or rope that is fastened round the head of a horse so that it can be led easily.
hal|ter|neck /hɔː ltə r nek/ (halternecks ) N‑COUNT A piece of clothing with a halterneck has a strap that goes around the back of the neck, rather than a strap over each shoulder. ● ADJ [ADJ n] Halterneck is also an adjective. □ …a halterneck evening dress.
halt|ing /hɔː lt I ŋ/ ADJ If you speak or do something in a halting way, you speak or do it slowly and with a lot of hesitation, usually because you are uncertain about what to say or do next. □ In a halting voice she said that she wished to make a statement. ● halt|ing|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ She spoke haltingly of her deep upset and hurt.
halve /hɑː v, [AM ] hæ v/ (halves , halving , halved )
1 VERB When you halve something or when it halves , it is reduced to half its previous size or amount. □ [V n] Dr Lee believes that men who exercise can halve their risk of cancer of the colon. □ [V ] Since then oil prices have halved in value.
2 VERB If you halve something, you divide it into two equal parts. □ [V n] Halve the pineapple and scoop out the inside.
3 Halves is the plural of half .
ham /hæ m/ (hams , hamming , hammed )
1 N‑VAR Ham is meat from the top of the back leg of a pig, specially treated so that it can be kept for a long period of time. □ …ham sandwiches.
2 PHRASE If actors or actresses ham it up , they exaggerate every emotion and gesture when they are acting, often deliberately because they think that the audience will be more amused. □ Thrusting themselves into the spirit of the farce, they ham it up like mad.
ham|burg|er /hæ mbɜː r gə r / (hamburgers ) N‑COUNT A hamburger is minced meat which has been shaped into a flat circle. Hamburgers are fried or grilled and then eaten, often in a bread roll. WORD HISTORY hamburger
Hamburgers are named after their city of origin, Hamburg in Germany. The word 'hamburger' has nothing to do with ham, but the 'burger' part has now been taken as a noun in its own right, on the basis of which we now have beefburgers, cheeseburgers, and so on.
ha m-fi sted ADJ If you describe someone as ham-fisted , you mean that they are clumsy, especially in the way that they use their hands. □ They can all be made in minutes by even the most ham-fisted of cooks.
ham|let /hæ ml I t/ (hamlets ) N‑COUNT A hamlet is a very small village.
ham|mer /hæ mə r / (hammers , hammering , hammered )
1 N‑COUNT A hammer is a tool that consists of a heavy piece of metal at the end of a handle. It is used, for example, to hit nails into a piece of wood or a wall, or to break things into pieces. □ He used a hammer and chisel to chip away at the wall.
2 VERB If you hammer an object such as a nail, you hit it with a hammer. □ [V n prep/adv] To avoid damaging the tree, hammer a wooden peg into the hole. □ [V ] Builders were still hammering outside the window. [Also V n] ● PHRASAL VERB Hammer in means the same as hammer . □ [V n P ] The workers kneel on the ground and hammer the small stones in. [Also V P n] ● ham|mer|ing N‑UNCOUNT □ The noise of hammering was dulled by the secondary glazing.
3 VERB If you hammer on a surface, you hit it several times in order to make a noise, or to emphasize something you are saying when you are angry. □ [V ] We had to hammer and shout before they would open up. □ [V + on ] A crowd of reporters was hammering on the door. □ [V n + on ] He hammered his two clenched fists on the table. ● ham|mer|ing N‑SING □ As he said it, there was a hammering outside.