ˈhaf-ˈmast 
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-masted; half-masting; half-masts
: to cause to hang at half-mast
half-mast a flag
Examples of half-mast in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 5 June 2025
The birds flew as a group, circling the shade canopy and modest makeshift podium, the American flag at half-mast, snapping furiously in the wind.
—Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2025
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The town of Pryluky, where the firefighter’s family and two other people were killed overnight, declared two days of mourning on Thursday and Friday, ordering flags to be flown half-mast and black banners displayed on public buildings.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 5 June 2025
The birds flew as a group, circling the shade canopy and modest makeshift podium, the American flag at half-mast, snapping furiously in the wind.
—Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2025
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
Cite this Entry
“Half-mast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/half-mast. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share