half hour

noun

1
: thirty minutes
2
: the middle point of an hour
half-hourly adverb or adjective

Examples of half hour in a Sentence

Trains depart every half hour. I waited a half hour in line.
Recent Examples on the Web The first pictures are expected within a half hour or so. William Harwood, CBS News, 22 Feb. 2024 Luke notes that delivery drivers also can’t wait a half hour to stop and charge their vehicles. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 2 Feb. 2024 Yet despite all the combat and chase scenes, the pace sometimes drags; episodes that feel flabby at 45 minutes might’ve been more captivating at a half hour. TIME, 1 Feb. 2024 For those keeping score at home, yes, Feb. 11 is indeed Super Bowl Sunday — but their set ends a half hour before kickoff. Aaron Davis, Sacramento Bee, 28 Jan. 2024 For a half hour, a family huddled inside; then young men from the village arrived and threw rocks at the Israelis. Shane Bauer, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 Other family mementos, including the badge and number his father used as a young police officer, hang on the living-room wall of his home in West Bloomfield, about a half hour northwest of Detroit. USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2024 Officers were told that the scene at Union Station was still unsecured a half hour after the shooting. Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 15 Feb. 2024 Add a half hour of exercise four times a week and visceral fat decreased by 7.4%. Sheah Rarback, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of half hour was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near half hour

Cite this Entry

“Half hour.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/half%20hour. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

half hour

noun
1
: thirty minutes
2
: the middle point of an hour
half-hourly
ˈhaf-ˈau̇(ə)r-lē
ˈhȧf-
adverb or adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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