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semiannual

[ sem-ee-an-yoo-uh l, sem-ahy- ]

/ ˌsɛm iˈæn yu əl, ˌsɛm aɪ- /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR semiannual ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

occurring, done, or published every half year or twice a year; semiyearly.

lasting for half a year: a semiannual plant.

Origin of semiannual

First recorded in 1785–95; semi- + annual

usage note for semiannual

See bi-¹.

OTHER WORDS FROM semiannual

sem·i·an·nu·al·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH semiannual

biannual biennial semiannual (see usage note at bi-¹)

Words nearby semiannual

semi-bantu, semi-closed anesthesia, semi-independent, semi-open anesthesia, semiamateur, semiannual, semiaquatic, semiarch, semiarid, semiattached, semiautobiographical

Example sentences from the Web for semi-annual

Trump was in New Orleans for the Republican Leadership Conference, a semi-annual conservative confab.

Donald Trump Is Still A Birther |David Freedlander |May 30, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen goes before the Senate Banking Committee to give a semi-annual monetary policy testimony.

The Daily Beast Looks Ahead: February 24 - March 2 |Brandy Zadrozny |February 23, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
His signature blue jacket is a Parisian street sweeper's smock purchased on his semi-annual trips to Paris.

Knowing Bill Cunningham |Philip Gefter |March 22, 2010 |DAILY BEAST
The four officials preside over semi-annual meetings on every topic under the sun.

We're Handling China All Wrong |Jeffrey E. Garten |February 17, 2010 |DAILY BEAST

By what miraculous instinct are they guided in these semi-annual migrations across half the globe?

Up the Orinoco and down the Magdalena |H. J. Mozans
Payment may be made of 1200 florins a year in semi-annual payments.

The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume III (of 3) |Alexander Wheelock Thayer
Hall's reports continued, as ever, optimistic; but the semi-annual statements were less encouraging.

Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete |Albert Bigelow Paine
He was sustained at the general semi-annual conference which took place between the 6th and 9th of October.

Wilford Woodruff |Matthias F. Cowley
About the semi-annual meeting, though—fear I shall be far away then.

The Life and Letters of Lafcadio Hearn, Volume 2 |Elizabeth Bisland

British Dictionary definitions for semi-annual

semiannual

/ (ˌsɛmɪˈænjʊəl) /

adjective

occurring every half-year

lasting for half a year

Derived forms of semiannual

semiannually, adverb