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
  • Strain’s interpretation of Nordhaus is hopelessly half-baked.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025
  • One of the biggest misfires of the looter-shooter Destiny-copycat era was BioWare’s Anthem, a game that sapped loads of time and resources away from the likes of Dragon Age and Mass Effect to produce a half-baked release.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025
Adjective
  • And would that have been ill-advised, in retrospect?
    Jordan Michelman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 4 July 2025
  • The decision, while wrapped in a concern for the environment, was ill-advised.
    Daniel Markind, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Adjective
  • The Office of State Budget and Management, if the bill becomes law, would determine if unauthorized immigrants are receiving such benefits.
    Alan Wooten, The Washington Examiner, 13 July 2025
  • Trump in January signed into law the Laken Riley Act, which requires the detention of unauthorized immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes.
    Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 12 July 2025
Adjective
  • Relatedly, many people become more open to spontaneous thinking in the evening, when the brain is less focused and inhibited.
    Matt Fuchs, Time, 10 July 2025
  • This exhilarating transit could spark a need for spontaneous self-expression and creative freedom.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 8 July 2025
Adjective
  • His high tackle-success rate and ability to recover loose balls highlight both positional awareness and sharp instinctive timing.
    Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 12 July 2025
  • The removal of living beings from their natural environment, along with the massive scale of human intervention, can be just as pernicious as the instinctive and selfish destruction that is often overlooked.
    PhotoVogue, Vogue, 10 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Half-cocked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/half-cocked. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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