Definition of "half-mast" []

• The position about halfway up a mast or pole at which a flag is flown as a symbol of mourning for the dead or as a signal of distress. Also called half-staff. (noun)
• To place (a flag) halfway up a mast or pole. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "It was preceded by a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, "9/11/01" was painted in white next to the blue court to commemorate the 10th anniversary, and the U.S. flag atop Arthur Ashe Stadium was at half-mast."
• "In a letter, Blatter also said that the Wales flag at Fifa headquarters in Zurich was flying at half-mast."
• "This morning, I shopped for a keyboard stand for my new iPal, learned how to use Pages, and e-mailed an animated love story involving octopi to my dad, all while my eyelids were still at half-mast."