semi

semi — noun

1. in a knockout tournament, a match whose winner then goes through to the final; t

1.nounB1
Definition

in a knockout tournament, a match whose winner then goes through to the final; two such matches are played, and the winners face each other for the championship.

Example

Brazil will play Germany in the first semi on Tuesday evening.

collocation: in the semi

Noa scored the winning goal in the semi and sent her team to the final.

Common collocations
  • reach the semi
  • win the semi
  • semi-final stage
  • in the semi
  • semi match
Synonyms
  • semifinal

    full form of 'semi'; preferred in formal contexts

  • qualifier

    a match that decides which competitor advances; may refer to earlier rounds too

Antonyms
  • final

    the championship match that follows the semi

Grammar Patterns

semi as countable noun

Usage Note

Informal clipping of 'semifinal'. Very common in sports news and commentary. Use 'semifinal' in formal or academic writing.

Common Mistakes

Our team lost in the semi-finale.
Our team lost in the semi-final.
'Finale' means the last performance of a show; the last round of a competition is the 'final'.

2. a home which shares one of its side walls with the house next door, so the two b

2.nounB2
Definition

a home which shares one of its side walls with the house next door, so the two buildings form a connected pair.

Example

The Watanabe family bought a three-bedroom semi in a quiet suburb of Leeds.

collocation: buy a semi

Their semi has a small front garden and a driveway for two cars.

Common collocations
  • buy a semi
  • live in a semi
  • three-bedroom semi
  • semi in a suburb
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

semi as countable noun

Usage Note

Chiefly British. Clipping of 'semi-detached house'. In British real estate listings, often written as 'semi'. In American English, such a home is called a 'duplex' or 'twin home'.

Common Mistakes

I live in a semi-detach house.
I live in a semi-detached house.
The adjective form is 'semi-detached', not 'semi-detach'.

3. a very large truck used for carrying goods, made up of a front cabin that pulls

3.nounB2
Definition

a very large truck used for carrying goods, made up of a front cabin that pulls a long box-like trailer behind it.

Example

A semi overturned on the highway and blocked all three lanes for hours.

collocation: semi overturns / semi on the highway

Emre drives a semi for a shipping company, delivering furniture across five states.

Common collocations
  • drive a semi
  • a loaded semi
  • semi on the highway
  • overturned semi
  • semi driver
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

semi as countable noun

Usage Note

Chiefly North American. Clipping of 'semi-trailer' or 'semitrailer truck'. Also called an '18-wheeler' or 'tractor-trailer'. In British English, a similar vehicle is called an 'articulated lorry' or 'artic'.

Common Mistakes

The semi trailer was carrying fruits.
The semi was carrying fruit.
When used alone, 'semi' already means the whole truck-and-trailer combination, not just the trailer part.

semi — prefix

Word family

  • semifinal
    nounB1
  • semifinalist
    nounB2
  • semicircle
    nounB2
  • semicircular
    adjectiveC1
  • semicolon
    nounB2
  • semi-detached
    adjectiveB2
  • semi-automatic
    adjectiveC1
  • semi-conscious
    adjectiveB2
  • semi-trailer
    nounB2
  • semi-professional
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Semi' is an informal clipping of 'semifinal' and is the most common form in sports news and conversation. 'Semifinal' is the full form preferred in formal writing, schedules, and official tournament documents. 'Quarter-final' refers to the round before the semi — there are four quarter-finals (for eight remaining competitors), and the winners advance to the semis. 'Play-off' is broader: it can refer to any tie-breaking match, including a semi, a final, or even a match to decide qualification. For example: 'Brazil won their semi 3–1' (natural informal speech), while 'Brazil won their semifinal 3–1' (the same fact in a newspaper article) sounds more formal.

semi ↗semifinalquarter-finalplay-off

Common collocations

Nouns

  • semi driver
  • semi team
  • semi match

Phrases

  • semi-final stage
  • semi-detached home
  • semi-automatic system

Prepositions

  • in the semi
  • to the semi
  • through the semi

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The prefix 'semi-' comes directly from Latin 'semi-', meaning 'half'. It entered English through French and Latin borrowings in the Middle English period (semicircle, semicolon). The noun uses of 'semi' are 20th-century clippings: 'semi' for 'semifinal' dates from the 1860s, 'semi' for 'semi-detached house' from the early 1900s in British real estate, and 'semi' for 'semitrailer' from the 1930s in American trucking.