How to Use half-staff in a Sentence

half-staff

noun
Definition of half-staffnext
  • In Dauphin, where most of the bus riders are from, flags were flown at half-staff.
    — Rob Gillies, ajc, 16 June 2023
  • The flag on the roof of the White House is lowered to half-staff to honor the victims of the Maine shootings.
    — Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 26 Oct. 2023
  • Half-mast refers to flags flown on ships, while half-staff is used for flags flown on land.
    — Shelby Slade, The Arizona Republic, 20 June 2024
  • To position the flag at half-staff, place the flag one-half the distance between the top and bottom of the staff.
    — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Aug. 2023
  • When flown at half-staff, the flag should be raised to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position.
    — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Aug. 2023
  • The college’s flag will be flown at half-staff this week in his memory.
    — Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 11 Dec. 2023
  • What is the difference between half-mast and half-staff?
    — Shelby Slade, The Arizona Republic, 20 June 2024
  • As a result, flags across the country will fly at half-staff through sunset on Jan. 28.
    — Fernando Cervantes Jr., The Arizona Republic, 31 Dec. 2024
  • Biden ordered flags across the country to be flown at half-staff through Thursday.
    — Michael Williams, Dallas News, 8 May 2023
  • Flags were lowered to half-staff outside the Murcia City Hall.
    — Edward Szekeres, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2023
  • Biden ordered the American flag at the White House to be flown at half-staff in honor of the victims.
    — Grace Hauck, USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2023
  • What's the difference between half-mast and half-staff?
    — Rae Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 11 Apr. 2023
  • President Bill Clinton flew the White House flags at half-staff.
    — Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 14 July 2023
  • To honor Rosalynn Carter's legacy, the White House ordered flags to be flown at half-staff.
    — Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 27 Nov. 2023
  • Flags across Idaho will fly at half-staff in memory of Rep. Sue Chew.
    — Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 18 Apr. 2024
  • What is flag protocol for raising a flag half-mast or half-staff?
    — Chris Sims, The Courier-Journal, 14 May 2024
  • Flags will fly at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on July 21.
    — Maia Pandey, Journal Sentinel, 21 July 2024
  • Grief also gripped the rest of the country, where flags were lowered to half-staff and schoolchildren said prayers to honor the dead.
    — Ap, Bloomberg.com, 7 Oct. 2022
  • His death prompted DeWine to order all flags to be lowered to half-staff Thursday.
    — Cole Behrens, The Enquirer, 27 Dec. 2024
  • Flags will fly at half-staff from sunrise to sunset Wednesday.
    — Maia Pandey, Journal Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2024
  • Flags on campus remained at half-staff in Welsh's honor.
    — David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 5 Sep. 2024
  • Flags will be flown at half-staff until sunset on Friday.
    — Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2024
  • In a statement Monday, Newsom said flags at the state Capitol would be flown at half-staff in honor of the victims.
    — Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2023
  • There are specific holidays and events when flags are flown at half-staff in the United States.
    — Shelby Slade, The Arizona Republic, 21 Dec. 2024
  • Joe Biden announced Monday that the United States flag would be lowered to half-staff in honor of the six victims.
    — Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2023
  • Throughout the week, the UW-Whitewater campus hosted a vigil, and a flag was flown at half-staff on the first day of classes.
    — Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2024
  • Justice ordered all flags statewide be flown at half-staff in honor of Maynard.
    — CBS News, 2 June 2023
  • The Saudi flag is never flown at half-staff at times of national mourning anywhere in the world.
    — Aimee Look, CNN, 18 Sep. 2023
  • However, this would not be the first time the flags have flown at half-staff during a presidential inauguration.
    — Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, 14 Jan. 2025
  • Driving the news: Axios asked Cox's office Tuesday whether flags would remain at half-staff for all 30 days; a spokesperson for the governor acknowledged receipt of the question but had not provided an answer as of mid-day.
    — Erin Alberty, Axios, 14 Jan. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'half-staff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: