behalf

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behalf

/bɪˈhæf/ US
/bɪˈhɑːf/ UK
/bəˈhɑːf/ UK

Rhymes with -ɑːf

Where it comes from

From Middle English bihalve (“nearby”), from Old English bī healfe (“by [his/her] side”), from bī (“by”) + healfe (“side, half”), equivalent to be- + half.

noun behalves · behalfs

The interest, benefit, or wellbeing of someone or something. She appeared on behalf of the U.N. Secretary General at a conference held in behalf of the world's children.
One's role or rightful place; stead or authority. He was not only my Representative who died on my behalf; He was my Substitute who died in my very stead.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: benefit, favor, respect, reputation, mandate, appoint, favour, rate, purpose, capacity, intention, sake, size, prevalence, spokesman, acting

Translations

Every language

noun behalf

Kiswahili	niaba
Deutsch	Vorteil, Nutzen, Interesse
Italiano	a vantaggio di

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MLA

"behalf." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/behalf. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

behalf. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/behalf

Chicago

"behalf." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/behalf.

BibTeX

@misc{behalf_2026,
  title = {behalf},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/behalf},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}