halftime

or half-time

[ haf-tahym, hahf- ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the period indicating completion of half the time times allowed for an activity, as for a football or basketball game or an examination.
Sports. the intermission or rest period between the two halves half halve of a football, basketball, or other game, during which spectators are often entertained by baton twirling, marching bands, or the like.

adjective

pertaining to or taking place during a halftime:
The football fans were treated to a halftime exhibition by the marching band.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of halftime¹

First recorded in 1870–75; half + time

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

He wasn’t able to make it out of the locker room at halftime and missed the first 50 seconds of the third quarter, checking back in with a shirt under his uniform.

From

But Harden finished the game with five fouls, picking up two in the first quarter, three by halftime and four by the middle of the third quarter.

From

“It was the first, and will hopefully be the last, Super Bowl halftime show orchestrated to assassinate the character of another artist,” the complaint continued.

From

Leonard’s three-pointer with 1 second left in the second quarter gave the Clippers a 50-49 halftime lead they never lost, and it gave Leonard 20 points in the first 24 minutes.

From

After getting played closely in the first half of its most recent tournament victories over Richmond and Mississippi, UCLA’s 31-25 halftime lead over the Tigers felt like a massive edge.

From

half-timbered half-time

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