Halves are two equal parts that together make a whole. When you cut an apple in half, you create two halves. When you split a candy bar with a friend, each person gets one of the two halves.

The word is the plural of half. In sports like football or soccer, games are divided into two halves, with a break between them so players can rest and coaches can adjust their strategies. In school, the year might be split into two halves, with different subjects or projects in each half.

People use “halves” in many expressions. If you only do part of a job, someone might say you're doing things “by halves,” meaning you're not putting in full effort. When friends decide to “go halves” on something, they're agreeing to split the cost equally between them.

Understanding halves is one of the first steps in learning fractions: once you grasp that two halves equal one whole, you're ready to explore thirds, quarters, and more complex mathematical ideas.