Colloquial Variant guide

ha'p'orth

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈheɪpə(ɹ)θ/
  • UK: /ˈeɪpə(ɹ)θ/ dialectally
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A halfpennyworth; the amount that can be bought for a halfpenny.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Ireland, UK, dated

Examples

  • circa''' 1880, William Makepeace Thackeray, Roundabout Papers You rascal thief! it is not merely three-ha’p’orth of sooty fruit you rob me of, it is my peace of mind.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A small amount.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Ireland, UK, dated, informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A foolish person.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Ireland, UK, dated, slang

Examples

  • 2000, Diary (16 Feb 2000) Frank Dobson (or possibly not) in The Guardian read at http://www.guardian.co.uk/mayor/Story/0,,190773,00.html#article_continue Mrs Dobson shouted: “Put on your anorak, Frank, you daft ha’p’orth, the maroon one I fetched you for your 60th, or you’ll catch your death.”

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the amount that can be bought for a halfpenny

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: halfpennyworth

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: worth

History

Etymology

Abbreviation of halfpennyworth. Compare boatswain.