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Halfway Common

Halfway has 6 different meanings across 3 categories:

Adjective · Adverb · Proper Noun

Definitions
Adjective
1

equally distant from the extremes

"The halfway mark on the race course is exactly equidistant from both the starting line and the finish line."

2

at a point midway between two extremes

"at the halfway mark"

3

including only half or a portion

"halfway measures"

Adverb
1

at half the distance; at the middle

"he was halfway down the ladder when he fell"

2

Half of the way between two points; midway.

"The halfway point on our hike is marked by an old oak tree."

In plain English: Halfway means being exactly in the middle of something, neither at the start nor at the end.

"We stopped for lunch halfway through our long drive to visit my aunt in California."

Usage: Use "halfway" to describe position or progress rather than time, as in "we are halfway through the book." Do not use it with a specific duration unless paired with "to," such as "it took us halfway an hour."

Proper Noun
1

A community in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada.

"We drove to Halfway for a quick stop before continuing our journey through Restigouche County."

Example Sentences
"We stopped for lunch halfway through our long drive to visit my aunt in California." adv
"We stopped halfway up the hill to catch our breath." adv
"The movie was only halfway through when we lost power." adv
"She is halfway done with her homework already." adv
See Also
half birthday half finished half zip midway flip partway way moderately
Related Terms

Origin

The word halfway comes from Middle English, where it originally meant "on the middle part of a journey." It entered modern usage as a straightforward combination of half and way to describe being midway between two points.

Rhyming Words
way away sway tway byway beway howay noway alway ioway myway amway elway on way ordway dugway forway iceway rahway subway
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