halfway

What it means

1. not comparableHalf of the way between two points.

   It's July 1st, so this year is halfway over.

   5 more examples

   I was already halfway home when I missed my keyring.

   One day has gone by and she's already halfway through the book.

   Just over halfway up, we reached the Human settlement with its houses of stone and wood and thatch.

   1989, Octavia E. Butler, “Part III, Chapter 7”, in Imago, page 210

   "He comes halfway and I come halfway," said Mr. Korson, 56.

   2010 March 25, Corey Kilgannon, “When Meeting Halfway Means in the Street”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 18 Sep 2024

   For Super Bowl visitors, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens lies about halfway between the Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports.

   2020 January 7, Rebecca Wallwork, “Which South Florida airport should I fly into?”, in CNN

   Synonyms: midway

2. not comparableModerately; somewhat.

   a halfway decent place to sleep

   Synonyms: partway

In a sentence

I was already halfway home when I missed my keyring.

Where it comes from

1. Old Englishhealfweġ“half-way”
2. Middle Englishhalfwey
3. Englishhalfway

From Middle English halfwey, from Old English healfweġ (“half-way”), equivalent to half- + way. Compare partway. Cognate with Saterland Frisian hoolfwais (“halfway”), Dutch halfweg (“halfway”), German halbwegs (“halfway”), Danish halvvejs (“halfway”), Swedish halvvägs (“halfway”).