half term meaning: definition, quotations

half term

nounalso spelled half-term

UK A short school holiday in the middle of the term, generally lasting a week.

I have just visited him at his mother's home where he is spending half term and we reminisced while looking at his photo album.1979, SWT, Social Work Today:
Georgia's not a very good correspondent, which is perfectly reasonable at her age, but she didn't come down for half term and then she didn't come for Easter either.2011, Marcia Willett, Hattie's Mill, Hachette UK, →ISBN:

2 more examples

“Good idea. The boy seems to be coping quite well, although I had a feeling he wasn't too happy about spending half term in Crete with his old grandpa."2011, Patricia Fenn, Poseidon's Trident, Andrews UK Limited, →ISBN:
"We had an extraordinary February half term - I think we had 22,000 visitors in the seven days. Which actually is a bit like bedlam at times."2020 June 3, Sam Mullins OBE discusses with Stefanie Foster, “LTM: a new chapter begins at 40”, in Rail, page 54:

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see half, term.

adj

UK Pertaining to the half term school holiday.

The Roystones took advantage of the long half-term break and went to Paris.1992, John Penn, Mortal Term, Ulverscroft Large Print, →ISBN:
Before 1974 the children of Lincoln were given an annual day's holiday for the mayor's birthday, but this is now calculated as part of the school Spring half-term holiday, so this seems the best location at which to place it.1997, Maureen Sutton, A Lincolnshire Calendar:

2 more examples

The half-term trip to Nethercombe had to be postponed because of her funeral and John felt a new guilt.2012, Marcia Willett, The Courtyard, Hachette UK, →ISBN:
The cartoon dog made its debut in half-term week in October, featuring on promotional children's tickets as well as fun children's activities such as colouring sheets and spot the difference.2022 November 30, “Stop & Examine”, in RAIL, number 971, page 87: