on the half hour

prepositional phrase

Happening hourly, but at 30 minutes past each hour; ie, 08:30, 09:30 etc.

“Trains leave here for New York every hour on the half hour.”

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Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. Happening hourly, but at 30 minutes past each hour; ie, 08:30, 09:30 etc.

    Trains leave here for New York every hour on the half hour.

  2. Happening on the hour and at 30 minutes after the hour.

    In one corner is an old grandfather's clock; the chimes are on the half-hour.

    2011, Studs Terkel, "The Good War": An Oral History of World War II
    1 more example

    He bought and framed Japanese prints, and she chose a bronze mantelpiece clock with a silver bell that struck on the half hour.

    2010, Stephanie Cowell, Claude & Camille, page 248
  3. ball gamesAt thirty minutes into a half.
Cite this entry
APA

on the half hour. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20half%20hour

MLA

“on the half hour.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20half%20hour. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “on the half hour,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20half%20hour.

Source: on the half hour on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.