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Definition of half determiner from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

     

    half

     determiner,pronoun
    determiner, pronoun
    NAmE//hæf//
     
     
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  1. 1an amount equal to half of something or someone half an hour Half (of) the fruit was bad. Half of the money was mine. He has a half share in the company. Out of 36 candidates, half passed. Language Bankproportiondescribing fractions and proportions
    • According to this pie chart, a third of students' leisure time is spent watching TV.
    • One in five hours is spent socializing.
    • Socializing accounts for/makes up/comprises about 20% of leisure time.
    • Students spend twice as much time playing computer games as playing sports.
    • Three times as many hours are spent playing computer games as reading.
    • The figure for playing computer games is three times higher than the figure for reading.
    • The largest proportion of time is spent playing computer games.
  2. 2half the time, fun, trouble, etc. the largest part of something Half the fun of gardening is never knowing exactly what's going to come up. Half the time you don't even listen to what I say.
    3. Idioms
    half a loaf is better than none (saying)
     
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    you should be grateful for something, even if it is not as good, much, etc. as you really wanted; something is better than nothing
    half a minute, second, etc. (informal)
     
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    a short time Hang on. I'll be ready in half a minute.
    half past one, two, etc.
     
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    30 minutes after any hour on the clock
See half in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Check pronunciation: half

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