half*/*/*/

half*/*/*/
[hɑːf]
(plural halves [hɑːvz] ) grammar word summary: Half can be: ■ a determiner: We live half a mile up the road. ■ a pronoun: Let's share the prize money. You can have half. ♦ Half of us are still unemployed. ■ an adjective: We ordered a half bottle of red wine. ■ an adverb: I was only half awake. ♦ A nurse only earns half as much as a doctor. ■ a noun: The group was divided into two halves. ■ a number: Emma could talk well by the age of two and a half.
1) one of two equal parts of a number, amount, group, or object
Only half the population voted in the election.[/ex]
The students spend half their time on practical work.[/ex]
The fabric is half nylon, half cotton.[/ex]
Jasmine started school when she was four and a half.[/ex]
We had to wait half an hour for a bus.[/ex]
Peel the potatoes and cut them in half.[/ex]
The risk of developing lung cancer has been reduced by half.[/ex]
half a dozen (= 6) eggs[/ex]
Prices rose by over 15% during the second half of 1988.[/ex]
2) partly but not completely
The door was half open.[/ex]
I only half understood the instructions.[/ex]
a half-empty milk bottle[/ex]
3) one of the two equal periods of time into which a game of football, basketball etc is divided
•
half the fun/problem/trouble etc — a large part of the fun/problem/trouble etc that is involved in something[/ex]
Putting up the decorations is half the fun of Christmas.[/ex]
half one/two/three etc — British spoken thirty minutes after one o'clock/two o'clock etc[/ex]
half past one/two etc — thirty minutes after one o'clock/two o'clock etc[/ex]
The shops close at half past five.[/ex]
not half as good/bad/much etc as — used for emphasizing that one person or thing is not nearly as good/bad etc as another[/ex]
It wasn't half as difficult as I expected.[/ex]

Dictionary for writing and speaking English. 2014.

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  • half — [ hæf ] (plural halves [ hævz ] ) function word, quantifier *** Half can be used in the following ways: as a predeterminer (followed by a word such as a, the, this, or his ): We live half a mile up the road. I have to spend half my time taking… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Half — (h[aum]f), a. [AS. healf, half, half; as a noun, half, side, part; akin to OS., OFries., & D. half, G. halb, Sw. half, Dan. halv, Icel. h[=a]lfr, Goth. halbs. Cf. {Halve}, {Behalf}.] 1. Consisting of a moiety, or half; as, a half bushel; a half… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • half — 1. Half functions as a noun or pronoun (the first half of the year / I ve still got half), an adjective (a half share) or predeterminer (i.e. placed before another determiner such as the, half the audience), and an adverb (He ll come half way / I …   Modern English usage

  • half — ► NOUN (pl. halves) 1) either of two equal or corresponding parts into which something is or can be divided. 2) either of two equal periods into which a match or performance is divided. 3) Brit. informal half a pint of beer. 4) informal a half… …   English terms dictionary

  • half — [haf, häf] n. pl. halves [ME < OE healf, part, half, akin to ON halfr, Ger halb < IE (s)kelep , lit., divided < base * (s)kel , to cut > SCALP, SKILL, HELM2] 1. a) either of the two equal parts of something [the top half of the sixth… …   English World dictionary

  • half — HALF, halfi, s.m. (Rar; la fotbal) Mijlocaş. – Din engl. half. Trimis de gall, 13.09.2007. Sursa: DEX 98  HALF s. v. mijlocaş. Trimis de siveco, 13.09.2007. Sursa: Sinonime  half s. m., pl. halfi …   Dicționar Român

  • half — O.E. half, halb (Mercian), healf (W. Saxon) side, part, not necessarily of equal division (original sense preserved in behalf), noun, adjective, and adverb all in O.E., from P.Gmc. *khalbas something divided (Cf. O.S. halba, O.N. halfr, O.Fris.,… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Half — (h[aum]f), n.; pl. {Halves} (h[aum]vz). [AS. healf. See {Half}, a.] 1. Part; side; behalf. [Obs.] Wyclif. [1913 Webster] The four halves of the house. Chaucer. [1913 Webster] 2. One of two equal parts into which anything may be divided, or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Half — Half, adv. In an equal part or degree; in some part approximating a half; partially; imperfectly; as, half colored, half done, half hearted, half persuaded, half conscious. Half loth and half consenting. Dryden. [1913 Webster] Their children… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • half — hȁlf m <N mn ovi, G ōvā> DEFINICIJA sport zast. pretežno obrambeni igrač u nekim momčadskim igrama loptom (nogomet, hokej i sl.) zadužen da sprečava protivničke napadače u izvođenju napada i da se uključuje u ofenzivne akcije vlastite… …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • half- — sharing one parent, from HALF (Cf. half). Half brother is attested from early 14c.; half sister from c.1200 …   Etymology dictionary

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