half-hour

American

[haf-ouuhr, -ou-er, hahf-] / ˈhæfˈaʊər, -ˈaʊ ər, ˈhɑf- /

noun

a period of 30 minutes.
the midpoint between the hours.

The clock struck on the half-hour.

adjective

of, relating to, or consisting of a half-hour.

half-hour programs.

half-hour British

noun

1. a period of 30 minutes
2. ( as modifier )
  
  a half-hour stint on the treadmill
1. the point of time 30 minutes after the beginning of an hour
2. ( as modifier )
  
  a half-hour chime

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

half-hourly adverb

Etymology

Origin of half-hour

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425

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 a break in play around the half-hour mark, Mikey Moore, exciting, dangerous and 18 years old, juggled the ball around the halfway line.

From BBC

Roubini told The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday that he met Epstein only once in his office for a half-hour, and never interacted with him again.

From The Wall Street Journal

Another fierce attack on the half-hour yielded another three points as Costelow popped over the penalty to give the Welsh a 17-5 lead at the break.

From Barron's

While performances of the complete play with the incidental music are rare, a half-hour concert version, also rare but less so, proves effective.

From Los Angeles Times

TV brought half-hour situation comedies and hourlong dramas.

From Barron's

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