at half-mast

Idioms

Halfway up or down, as in The church bells tolled off and on all day and the flags were at half-mast. This term refers to placing a flag halfway up a ship's mast or flagpole, a practice used as a mark of respect for a person who has died or, at sea, as a distress signal. Occasionally the term is transferred to other objects, as in Tom's pants were at half-mast as he raced around the playground, or The puppy's tail was at half-mast. [First half of 1600s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In Tumbler Ridge, flags remained at half-mast on Thursday, and a memorial to the victims was growing as mourners stopped by to drop off teddy bears and flowers and pause for a moment of silence.

From BBC

On Wednesday, flags flew at half-mast in railway stations across Ukraine.

From BBC

"Since the high-speed line was built, 30-something years ago, we never had any problems, it worked perfectly and was fantastic," says Alberto Montavez Montes, a shop-owner opposite Córdoba city hall, where the Spanish and Andalusian flags have been hanging at half-mast.

From BBC

Flags were flown at half-mast and thousands of security officers have been deployed.

From BBC

Flags will fly at half-mast and Australians are being asked to light a candle in their windows to honour the victims.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023