half-cocked

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of half-cocked That cycle has lasted decades, a past strewn with half-cocked plans, bankruptcies, struggling businesses, recriminations, and a neighborhood that refuses to give up on itself or surrender its personality. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 21 May 2025 And yet, all of a sudden, there was the commotion typical of when a manager walks into a room deep in a stadium as reporters rush to put their phones on the desk and stumble awkwardly, laptops half-cocked, back to their seats. James Horncastle, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024 The way reason permeated the front offices has bled onto the field, and the players are more reasonable, more rational and not likely to go off half-cocked. Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 25 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for half-cocked
Adjective
  • There has been a plot against Sisi, in the form of a half-baked military coup, and George is right in the thick of it.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 20 May 2025
  • Overlooking learning and development may result in half-baked multiscreen strategies that don't maximize the potential of the other mediums.
    Vinayak S, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
Adjective
  • This is the most short-sighted and ill-advised cost-cutting measure.
    U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2025
  • Following the path that the previous director had taken would have been ill-advised.
    Janine Schindler, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
Adjective
  • In the absence of automation to oversee these applications, IT and security teams must manually detect and respond to threats posed by unauthorized AI tools.
    Maria Williams, USA Today, 24 May 2025
  • The settlement signed on Friday between Prospect and the state of Connecticut concludes an ongoing state investigation into unauthorized service cuts at Rockville launched in October of last year.
    Katy Golvala, Hartford Courant, 24 May 2025
Adjective
  • Conversations are flirtatious and direct, so expect bold texts and spontaneous meetings.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 22 May 2025
  • Bilek said that proposals should be intentional moments, not spontaneous gestures, and partners should openly communicate expectations around commitment to avoid confusion or emotional harm.
    Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 May 2025
Adjective
  • Instead, Agyemang answered with the kind of instinctive finishing that had abandoned Charlotte during its skid.
    Colin Cerniglia, Charlotte Observer, 25 May 2025
  • Intuition might tell you that attraction is a quick, instinctive reaction.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Half-cocked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/half-cocked. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!