halftime

or half-time

[ haf-tahym, hahf- ]

noun
  1. the period indicating completion of half the time allowed for an activity, as for a football or basketball game or an examination.

  2. Sports. the intermission or rest period between the two halves of a football, basketball, or other game, during which spectators are often entertained by baton twirling, marching bands, or the like.

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

Origin of halftime

1
First recorded in 1870–75; half + time

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use halftime in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for half-time

half-time

noun
  1. sport

    • a rest period between the two halves of a game

    • (as modifier): the half-time score

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012