half-truth

noun

1
: a statement that is only partially true
2
: a statement that mingles truth and falsehood with deliberate intent to deceive

Examples of half-truth in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Tribune reporter Ronald Yates then revealed in 1976 that two witnesses were forced to tell half-truths and withhold vital information during Toguri’s trial. Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2025 Surveys get half-truths, interviews get sugarcoated and focus groups get filtered. Jim Longo, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025 Sifting fact from fiction has been nearly impossible on both sides of the border because of the sheer volume of falsehoods, half-truths, memes, misleading video footage and speeches manipulated by artificial intelligence. Anupreeta Das, New York Times, 17 May 2025 Our feeds are flooded with faux news and half-truths, designed to prop up confirmation biases and advance political agendas. Slaine, Boston Herald, 10 May 2025 That’s when the parade of half-truths goes marching by. John Nogowski, Hartford Courant, 24 Apr. 2025 That’s because, despite the fact that Trump’s claims about immigrants are mostly half-truths or blatant lies, a sizable portion of Americans have come to believe them. Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2025 And the public is left drowning in a sea of hot takes and half-truths, trying to make sense of what—if anything—actually matters. Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025 True to the postmodern nature of DEI, the efforts to save it are a cacophony of half-truths, distortions, and downright lies. Ian Kingsbury, National Review, 22 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1628, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of half-truth was in 1628

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Cite this Entry

“Half-truth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/half-truth. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

half-truth

noun
-ˌtrüth
: a statement that is only partly true
especially : one that deliberately mixes truth and falsehood

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