Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

do by halves

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.47 in modern English

Syllables: do by halves
IPA

22

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

1

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To perform (a task, etc) partially or incompletely; to do (something) inadequately, halfheartedly, or shoddily.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"[A] pedestrian tour of Europe could not be complete without them. Of course that decided me at once to see them, for I never allow myself to do things by halves, or in a slurring, slipshod way."
"Rin-Tin-Tin does nothing by halves, for he tracks the murderer himself and kills him."
"Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog!"
"If there was one word to describe her, it was "intense" - so well chosen in her brother Michael's moving eulogy. Nothing, absolutely nothing was done by halves. . . . Her commitment was total."

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

does by halves (present, singular) doing by halves (participle, present) did by halves (past) done by halves (participle, past) do by half-measures (alternative)

Questions

What does do by halves mean?: To perform (a task, etc) partially or incompletely; to do (something) inadequately, halfheartedly, or shoddily.

How to pronounce do by halves

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