half-time

half-time — noun

1. a scheduled pause at the middle point of a sports competition when players rest

1.nounB1
Definition

a scheduled pause at the middle point of a sports competition when players rest and coaches can talk with their team about the second part of the game

Example

Coach Mateo gathered his players for a quick team talk at half-time.

preposition: at half-time

Élise bought a hot drink and checked the half-time scores on her phone.

collocation: half-time score

Common collocations
  • half-time break
  • half-time score
  • half-time whistle
  • half-time lead
  • half-time interval
  • at half-time
  • during half-time
Synonyms
  • interval

    more general; used in theatre and concerts as well as in sports (especially British English)

  • intermission

    common in US English; used for both sports and entertainment events

  • break

    less specific; can refer to any pause, not necessarily at the midpoint

Grammar Patterns

half-time (no article)

at half-time

during half-time

Usage Note

Half-time refers to a specific point in a timed game (the midpoint), not to rest breaks that occur at other moments in the match. It is uncountable and typically appears without an article: 'at half-time', not 'at a half-time'.

Common Mistakes

The coach gave instructions during the half-time.
The coach gave instructions during half-time.
Half-time is uncountable and does not take an article here.
The game has two half-times.
The game has two halves and a half-time in the middle.
Half-time is the interval, not a segment of play.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words describe a pause in an activity, but they differ in scope and register. Interval is the broadest term: it works for sports, theatre, and music performances, and is standard in British English ('the half-time interval'). Intermission is the preferred term in US English for entertainment events, though it is also used for sports. Break is the most general and informal — you can have a coffee break, a lunch break, or a break between classes, but it rarely carries the sense of 'midpoint of a game'. For sports events, half-time is the most precise term; using interval or intermission instead may sound vague or overly formal depending on the variety of English.

interval ↗intermissionbreak ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • half-time break
  • half-time score
  • half-time whistle
  • half-time lead
  • half-time interval

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Half-time is a compound of half (from Old English 'healf', meaning 'side, part, half') and time (from Old English 'tīma', meaning 'a limited stretch of existence'). The word began to appear in sports contexts in the mid-19th century, when modern team sports such as association football and rugby introduced a formal pause at the midpoint of a match to allow sides to switch ends of the field.