Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

half-staff

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.91 in modern English

Syllables: half-staff
IPA

21

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Canadian usage; American usage

Example Sentences

"[T]he agents of the steamship lines drowned their sorrow in rum and ran the house flags to half-staff."
"Marshal Joseph Pilsudski, Poland's man of power, died here tonight. . . . Flags were lowered to half staffs."
"President Bush's decision to honor Pope John Paul II by ordering flags lowered to half-staff on all public buildings has reignited a debate about the separation of church and state."
"[T]he flags at Ottawa fire stations were lowered to half-staff in tribute."

Usage

Canadian usage
American usage

Inflected Forms

half-staffs (plural) half staff (alternative) halfstaff (alternative)

Synonyms

half-mast

Questions

What does half-staff mean?: Half-mast.

How to pronounce half-staff

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “half-staff”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “half-staff”.
Repeat and practice — Say “half-staff” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.