decrease by half

USAGE SUMMARY

'decrease by half' is a perfectly correct and usable phrase in written English.
You can use it any time you need to express that a value or amount has been reduced by 50%. For example: "The number of employees at the company decreased by half over the past year."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

14 human-written examples

Concentrate intake at the automated milking unit tended to decrease by half a kg from Gly0 to Gly6.

Livestock Science

By contrast, if you look at the large population of 10,000,000,000 Caesium-137 atoms, you see the activity decrease by half over 30 years as the random effects are smoothed out".

The Guardian

Results showed that decreasing the item size of candies led participants to decrease by half their gram weight intake, resulting in an energy intake decrease of 60 kcal compared to the other group.

Journal of the American Dietetic Association

Scale-up studies reveal that the production cost can decrease by half while the investment per unit of power should become competitive with current coal based power plants if solar and coal facilities present similar production capacities.

Applied Thermal Engineering

The US Energy Information Administration has said that US crude oil production will decrease by half a million barrels a day in 2016 as companies cut production or go bankrupt.

Independent

In case of two machines, we have: T min = [ T max 2 ] - C. As shown in Figures 12, the CPU load does not decrease by half when one server was added and Figures 13, the CPU load does not double when one server was removed.

Journal of Cloud Computing

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

46 human-written examples

Decreased PENK increases anti-PCD-gene transcription [ 51] and PENK protein was decreased by half, and its nuclear distribution decreased by 70%, suggest decreased PCD possibly mediated by Meq (see below).

BMC Systems Biology

Time to market decreased by half.

MIT Technology Review

Circulating triglyceride levels were also decreased by half.

Nature

The report also found freshwater availability in the Americas has decreased by half since the 1950s.

Yale University

The African American achievement gap in reading decreased by half during the early 1970s and early 1980s.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "decrease by half", ensure the context clearly indicates what is being reduced and over what period. For example: "Profits decreased by half in the last quarter."

Common error

Avoid assuming the "decrease by half" refers to the final value instead of the initial value. Clarify the starting point to prevent misinterpretations.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "decrease by half" functions as a descriptive phrase, indicating the extent of reduction in a quantity or value. As noted by Ludwig, it is perfectly acceptable to use in written English to express a 50% reduction.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

40%

News & Media

40%

Academia

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

2%

Wiki

1%

Formal & Business

7%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "decrease by half" is a common and grammatically sound way to express a 50% reduction. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's appropriate for use in written English to convey a reduction by 50%. While alternatives like "reduce by 50 percent" or "halve" exist, "decrease by half" maintains a neutral tone suitable for diverse contexts ranging from scientific reports to news articles. Remember to provide clear context for what is being reduced and to avoid misinterpretations by clearly stating the initial value.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Reduce by 50 percent

Uses a percentage to specify the amount of reduction, instead of the fraction "half".

Halve

A single-word verb meaning to reduce to one half.

Diminish by 50%

Replaces "decrease" with "diminish" and "half" with "50%".

Cut in half

Suggests a more abrupt reduction, using "cut" instead of "decrease".

Decline by 50 percent

Uses "decline" as a synonym for "decrease" and "50 percent" instead of "half".

Drop by half

Emphasizes a sudden reduction, replacing "decrease" with "drop".

Fall by 50%

Uses "fall" to indicate a downward trend by 50%.

Lessen by half

Replaces "decrease" with "lessen", indicating a reduction in amount or intensity.

Be halved

Expresses that something undergoes division by two.

See a 50 percent reduction

Focuses on the observation of a reduction, using "see" to denote this.

FAQs

How can I use "decrease by half" in a sentence?

You can use "decrease by half" to show a 50% reduction in something. For example, "The company's expenses "declined by half" this year."

What are some alternatives to saying "decrease by half"?

Some alternatives include "reduce by 50 percent", "halve", or "cut in half" depending on the nuance you want to convey.

Is it better to say "decrease by half" or "decrease by 50 percent"?

Both "decrease by half" and "decrease by 50 percent" are correct. "Decrease by half" is slightly more informal, while "decrease by 50 percent" is more precise.

What does "decrease by half" mean?

It means that something has been reduced to 50% of its original value, or that it has been reduced by 50%.