Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Midway between two points or conditions.
  • adjective Reaching or including only half or a portion; partial.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In the middle; at half the distance.
  • Midway; equidistant from the extremes.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Equally distant from the extremes; situated at an intermediate point; midway.
  • adjective partial.
  • adjective including only half or a portion; incomplete.
  • adjective a practice among the Congregational churches of New England, between 1657 and 1662, of permitting baptized persons of moral life and orthodox faith to enjoy all the privileges of church membership, save the partaking of the Lord's Supper. They were also allowed to present their children for baptism.
  • adverb In the middle; at half the distance; imperfectly; partially.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adverb Half of the way between two points; midway.
  • adverb moderately; somewhat

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adverb at half the distance; at the middle
  • adjective including only half or a portion
  • adjective equally distant from the extremes
  • adjective at a point midway between two extremes

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English halfwey, from Old English healfweg ("half-way"), equivalent to half- +‎ way. Cognate with Dutch halfweg ("halfway").

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Examples

  • Ian looked again, then turned toward Alice with an expression halfway between skepticism and bemusement.

    Here Comes Another Lesson Stephen O’Connor 2010

  • Eric leaned against the row of lockers beside hers wearing an expression halfway between a leering grin and a snarl.

    When Rose Wakes Christopher Golden 2010

  • We need a word halfway between friend and acquaintance.

    BBC News - Home 2011

  • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it's reached what it describes as the halfway point in draining the floodwaters in New Orleans.

    CNN Transcript Sep 16, 2005 2005

  • WHY I thought I could put a book of hers down halfway is entirely beyond me.

    Little Love (funded!) shweta_narayan 2010

  • The Secondary Objective is to try and keep my body in halfway decent shape.

    Cheeseburger Gothic » Burger lite. 2010

  • Most begin halfway or fully at “Hurray!” and slope off jaggedly to “Blah.”

    Sex and Storytelling 2009

  • Definitely, but I still get that nose & ear pain halfway into a feature.

    Mad Dog Movies « 3D Specs 2009

  • He owned the part of Scott Pilgrim so much that I literally forgot his name halfway through the film.

    Bryan Young: Review: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World 2010

  • One can get halfway from the cover to the cartoon by simply emptying the man's word balloon.

    Archive 2008-05-01 2008

Comments

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  • As in "I'll meet you halfway."

    August 25, 2007

  • Which is farther, going halfway into the woods or all the way in?

    December 29, 2007

  • Depends on whether a tree falls in there without making a noise. ;oD

    December 29, 2007