How to Use half in a Sentence

half

1 of 3 noun
Definition of halfnext
Synonyms for halfnext
  • Two halves make a whole.
  • The team fell behind in the first half but rallied in the second half to win the game.
  • She broke each cookie into halves.
  • The Jets outscored the Broncos 23-8 in the second half.
    — Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 9 Oct. 2023
  • The Rams held the Big Blue to just two first downs in the first half, and that set the tone for the rest of the game.
    — Chris Vogt, The Enquirer, 19 Aug. 2023
  • The second half of the cycle is known as the luteal phase.
    — Laura Kolbe, The New York Review of Books, 18 Jan. 2024
  • The game kicks off with West Ham scoring two goals by the end of the first half.
    — Jp Mangalindan, Peoplemag, 31 May 2023
  • The team outscored the Cardinal 50-30 in the second half.
    — Kathryn Sheldon, Sacramento Bee, 31 Mar. 2024
  • That compared with a 31% on year increase in the first half of the year.
    — Sherry Qin, WSJ, 20 Oct. 2023
  • The Heat controlled the game the rest of the way, pulling ahead by as many as 18 points in the second half.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2024
  • In 2020, Medicaid covered half of the births in the state.
    — Sarah Maddox, CBS News, 27 Nov. 2023
  • When the show is finished and put up on the screen, that’s my half of the dialogue.
    — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 28 July 2023
  • That part of Florida does not need the rain, with the eastern half free of drought.
    — Kathryn Prociv, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2023
  • He may have been broken in half playing against the 290-plus-pound Davis.
    — Gary Washburn, BostonGlobe.com, 29 July 2023
  • Apply a slightly thicker layer of sheer white to one half of the nail, from the middle to the tip.
    — Elle Turner, Glamour, 9 Aug. 2023
  • Through the first half, Indiana was 2 of 5 passing for 27 yards.
    — Andrew Gillis, cleveland, 3 Sep. 2023
  • In the opener, Cal State Fullerton had 11 offensive boards in the first half alone.
    — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Nov. 2023
  • This put me on the constant lookout for red lower halves.
    — Megan O'Sullivan, Vogue, 8 Dec. 2023
  • Some fans opined that the musical's better songs are in its first half.
    — Moises Mendez Ii, TIME, 12 Feb. 2024
  • Now, more than two-thirds of state House Democrats are in that group -- compared to about half of state Senate Democrats.
    — Laura Gersony, ABC News, 20 June 2023
  • Despite the solid night Jackson took just one shot in the second half.
    — Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 7 Mar. 2024
  • The cohesion showed as Irvine shook off an ugly first half to start the second on a 7-0 run.
    — Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 15 Nov. 2023
  • There was a little method approach to it, like in the first half of the film, when my character is not very nice to hers.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 17 July 2023
  • UConn came out in the second half with a 9-2 run as Karaban converted back-to-back layups for his first points of the night.
    — Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 18 Jan. 2024
  • Even after Horizon Honors took the lead in the top half, Northland Prep had life.
    — Theo MacKie, The Arizona Republic, 13 May 2023
  • Roughly half of kittens don’t survive their first year, the NPS says.
    — Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 11 Feb. 2024
  • And in Spain, the populist Vox party lost more than half of its seats in parliament.
    — Loveday Morris, Washington Post, 25 Nov. 2023
  • The Hurricanes struggled with the Seminoles in the first half, falling behind by 10 points as the first half came to an end.
    — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 18 Jan. 2024
  • Michelin expects to release its first list of the world’s finest lodgings during the first half of 2024.
    — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 6 Oct. 2023
  • Spread half of Meat Loaf Sauce evenly over meat loaf; bake 25 more minutes.
    — Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 6 Oct. 2023
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half

2 of 3 adjective
  • She looked at him with a shy half smile.
  • He owns a half share in the company.
  • The two-and-a-half-minute clip opens with Ginny jogging.
    — Samantha Stutsman, Peoplemag, 16 Dec. 2022
  • For one, there’s the half-moon shape that ensures it can be placed flush against a wall.
    — Dylan Ogline, Forbes, 3 Aug. 2022
  • The $20 billion price tag was to comprise about half cash and half stock.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 18 Dec. 2023
  • In the past half century, 17 people have joined the court.
    — David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2023
  • At first glance, Harry’s face in the book’s cover image shows the prince with the start of a half smile.
    — Ellen Gamerman, WSJ, 28 Oct. 2022
  • Near the end of the three-and-a-half-minute clip, the deputies successfully take the senior to safety.
    — Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 12 Aug. 2022
  • On Wednesday night, two teenagers were shot about a half-mile away on Moravia Road.
    — Lea Skene, Baltimore Sun, 30 Sep. 2022
  • The next Thrifty Thursday -- also known as half-price day -- will be held Nov. 17.
    — Mary Jane Brewer, cleveland, 24 Oct. 2022
  • While the Timbers missed out on all their first half chances, Cincinnati made good on one of theirs.
    — oregonlive, 23 Apr. 2023
  • The site was about a half-mile west of the Georgia Avenue-Petworth Metro station.
    — Allison Klein, Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2023
  • In his third year, Jason Taylor had a half-sack through eight games.
    — Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 25 Sep. 2022
  • The Kentucky Derby is a long race, but for most of the field, the outcome will be determined in the first half mile.
    — Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 5 May 2023
  • About a half mile away from Moses’ home in Greystone is the property of the local golf course.
    — Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 10 May 2023
  • That’s some complex emotion to pack into a three-and-a-half-minute song.
    — Jon Freeman, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2022
  • The size range is very good, including many half sizes and wide options.
    — Bob Beacham, Field & Stream, 21 June 2023
  • The courtyards of the Palace of Westminster were echo quiet below a half-moon.
    — William Booth, Washington Post, 17 Sep. 2022
  • If your oven has hot spots, turn the baking sheet after 10 minutes, or half way through the cook time.
    — Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 12 June 2023
  • The area is about a half-mile northwest of Rose Island, a private island off the coast of Nassau.
    — Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 6 Sep. 2022
  • About halfway through the two-and-a-half-minute trailer, the roles seem to reverse (at least briefly), and Joe becomes the hunted.
    — Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Jan. 2023
  • In the days after the flood, Fugate and his wife took pictures of the retaining wall of a pond about a half-mile up the creek from their house.
    — Phil McCausland, NBC News, 22 Aug. 2022
  • There’s still about a 20 percent chance the pick will go to New York as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade that feels like about half-century ago.
    — Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas News, 8 Apr. 2023
  • The officer tailed him and pulled Thomas over about a half-mile into Illinois.
    — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 14 Dec. 2022
  • There was now no real need to annex the West Bank and its half million settlers.
    — David Remnick, The New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2024
  • The unidentified man from Houston was found just before 8 p.m. on the Chimneys Trail, about a half-mile from the trail head.
    — Taylor Pettaway, San Antonio Express-News, 22 July 2022
  • Scoring was up in the NBA this season, to a level not seen in more than a half-century.
    — Tim Reynolds, Chicago Tribune, 10 Apr. 2023
  • Plus, this timeless sandal comes in a wide range of sizes from 5 to 12, with half sizes included.
    — Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 28 Apr. 2023
  • If your school-age child is getting less than five servings of fruit a day, give them a half cup of any of these fruits, three to five times a day.
    — Amy Capetta, Parents, 13 June 2023
  • Enyo, the latest creation from Ringbrothers, is based on a 1948 Chevy half-ton truck.
    — Greg Fink, Car and Driver, 1 Nov. 2022
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half

3 of 3 adverb
  • The door was half open.
  • The glass of water is half full.
  • The train departed at half past the hour.
  • The crowd was half cheering and half jeering.
  • These eggs are only half cooked.
  • She had half persuaded me to stay.
  • He was only half aware of what was happening.
  • The gym is half-full, with 45 of its cots and mats taken.
    — oregonlive, 24 Feb. 2023
  • As of this week, the project was more than half complete.
    — Kurtis Alexander, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 May 2023
  • One of my favorites is the guy who did the (video) about the half-empty LaCroix.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 15 Dec. 2022
  • Even so, the lineup for this year’s event wasn’t half-bad.
    — Jayson Buford, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2021
  • When the hole is half full, use your foot to gently tamp down the soil around the root ball.
    — Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2023
  • The bin was half full and Paulk had just eaten, so his trash was near the top.
    — David Chiu, Peoplemag, 17 Oct. 2023
  • Then, pull it up, and fold half over, and secure with a clip.
    — Cameron Jenkins, Good Housekeeping, 15 July 2023
  • Fill cup half-full with crushed ice, stir to combine, and chill.
    — Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, 6 Mar. 2023
  • Just about everybody in here tends to see the glass as half-full.
    — Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 18 Nov. 2022
  • Fill the tomatoes half-full with the pulp mix and bake for about 4 minutes, or until the cheese melts.
    — Beth Segal, cleveland, 30 July 2021
  • The iPhone was lying on the ground, in airplane mode, with its battery half full.
    — Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2024
  • But the far antler is wrapped in another piece of rope, so the job is only half done.
    — Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 4 Oct. 2023
  • The next incoming stream was so full of iron that the main stem ran half orange and half green.
    — Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 19 Dec. 2023
  • Which is an enormous amount of money for a movie that’s half black-and-white, shot on 35-mm.
    — David Remnick, The New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2023
  • The glass isn’t just half-full in the eyes of Pittsburgh Pirates’ management.
    — John Perrotto, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2021
  • For extra retro flair, Gomez's hair was styled in a 1960s-style half-updo.
    — Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 11 Jan. 2023
  • Even those in South Maui, 30 miles south of Lahaina, are half empty.
    — Audrey McAvoy and Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Sep. 2023
  • Her eyes were half open, lips parted, hands in her lap and upturned.
    — Zach Williams, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
  • There is more space in the room and the window is open—or rather half open, revealing the green of trees outside.
    — Jenny Uglow, The New York Review of Books, 28 Sep. 2023
  • Logano said the good news is the season is only half over, and there’s plenty of time to improve.
    — Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 28 May 2023
  • The effect is half haunted house, half place of worship.
    — Catherine Bennett, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2023
  • Raisel Iglesias was brought on to maintain a one-run deficit in the eighth — to earn the save a half-inning later.
    — Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2021
  • The bizarre and delightful buddy story made the 14-hour flight to Abu Dhabi seem half as long.
    — Alan Murray, Fortune, 9 Aug. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'half.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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