time and a half

noun

Synonyms of time and a halfnext
: payment for work (such as overtime or holiday work) at one and a half times the worker's regular wage rate

Examples of time and a half in a Sentence

If they make you work during holidays, they pay you time and a half. We get paid 20 dollars an hour for 40 hours and time and a half for overtime.
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.
The board members are allowed to pick up extra shifts outside their 40-hour union work week, getting paid time and a half. — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 30 Apr. 2025 In Rhode Island, most hourly workers are required to be paid time and a half on Sundays and holidays. — Wheeler Cowperthwaite, The Providence Journal, 26 Mar. 2026 Paying employees time and a half inflates state agencies’ payroll costs, but often the practice is unavoidable to fill critical staffing gaps. — William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 23 Feb. 2026 The contract’s annual minimum wage increases are 3 percent in the first year of the contract and two percent in the second and third years, and the agreement provides time and a half pay for work assigned on a holiday. — Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 June 2024 See All Example Sentences for time and a half

Word History

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of time and a half was in 1847

Rhymes for time and a half

See All Rhymes for time and a half

Browse Nearby Words

time and again
time and a half
time and motion study
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Cite this Entry

“Time and a half.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/time%20and%20a%20half. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

time and a half

noun
: payment of a worker (as for working overtime) at one and one half times the regular wage rate

More from Merriam-Webster on time and a half

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