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half-yearly

half-yearly

1 2.7
Happening twice a year, every six months
  • adjective
  • /ˌhæfˈjɜrli/
  • UK
translation icon : semestral
  • The half-yearly figures for the store look good.

Examples

  • The school organizes a half-yearly review of student performance every June.

  • Striving for a patient tone, Annabelle persisted, "If you forgo your half-yearly checks for the next two years or so, I can almost promise that you'll be making double what you're earning now once they resume."

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Cells no longer aged as long as the half-yearly treatments continued.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • She paid her half-yearly premiums faithfully, not knowing that it was not a saving plan.

    Blog text (33)
  • The company issues its financial reports half-yearly to keep investors informed.

  • She attends half-yearly meetings to discuss progress with her team.

Synonyms

biannual
vshalf-yearly
5 4.1

Happening twice a year, every six months

is used both as adjective and adverb rather than only adjective
semiannual
vshalf-yearly
3 4.1

Happening twice a year, every six months

is used both as adjective and adverb rather than only adjective
biannually
vshalf-yearly
1 3.7

Twice a year, every six months

is used both as adjective and adverb rather than only adverb
semiannually
vshalf-yearly
1 4.6

Happens twice a year

is used both as adjective and adverb rather than only adverb
biyearly
vshalf-yearly
3.9

Happening twice a year

is used both as adjective and adverb rather than being an alternate form only

How Often

daily
1.0
weekly
323 1.0
monthly
246 1.0
quarterly
56 3.0
half-yearly
  • UK
1 2.7
annual
721 1.0

Surface Forms

half-yearly positive
half-yearlier comparative
half-yearliest superlative

Morphology

half-yearly = half-year (transparent) = half + year + ly

Formed from the clear compound 'half-year' plus the productive suffix '-ly', so learners can derive 'occurring every six months'.

Etymology

Half-yearly is made from half, meaning 'one of two equal parts', and yearly, meaning 'every year'. So half-yearly means 'every six months' or 'twice a year'.