The North American term for the position of a flag lowered to the middle of a flagpole as a mark of respect or mourning — what the British call half-mast. Used in the United States, Canada, and the Philippines. The distinction between half-staff (on land) and half-mast (at sea) is sometimes maintained in formal usage.
Flags across the country were ordered to fly at half-staff following the announcement.
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(US, Canada, sometimes, Philippines) Half-mast.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.