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
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

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Half-mast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/half-mast. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.

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
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!