half-mast

1 of 2

noun

ˈhaf-ˈmast How to pronounce half-mast (audio)
ˈhäf-
: a point some distance but not necessarily halfway down below the top of a mast or staff or the peak of a gaff

half-mast

2 of 2

verb

half-masted; half-masting; half-masts

transitive verb

: to cause to hang at half-mast
half-mast a flag

Examples of half-mast in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The flag was lowered to half-mast on Parliament Hill’s Peace Tower, as well as on many other government buildings. Karen Bliss, SPIN, 17 Oct. 2024 Even Ohtani at half-mast has been good enough for the Dodgers. Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 5 Oct. 2024
Verb
Patterson High’s junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps said Izaiah was a cadet, and shared a photo of the school’s flags flying at half-mast Tuesday. Dillon Mullan, Baltimore Sun, 7 Mar. 2023 Half-staff is the preferred form of reference in presidential decrees while half-mast is used outside of the U.S. Ridah Syed, Journal Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2023 See all Example Sentences for half-mast 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'half-mast.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1800, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1785, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of half-mast was in 1785

Dictionary Entries Near half-mast

Cite this Entry

“Half-mast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/half-mast. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

half-mast

noun
ˈhaf-ˈmast,
ˈhȧf-
: a point about halfway down below the top of a mast or staff
flags hanging at half-mast
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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