"half a loaf is better than none" meaning in English

See half a loaf is better than none in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Proverb

Head templates: {{head|en|proverb|head=}} half a loaf is better than none, {{en-proverb}} half a loaf is better than none
  1. Something is better than nothing: some reward, achievement, result, etc. is preferable to none at all. Synonyms: something is better than nothing, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, beggars can't be choosers, don't look a gift horse in the mouth, satisfactory, half a loaf is better than no bread, half a loaf is better than no loaf Related terms: a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, perfect is the enemy of good Translations (Translations): malé ryby taky ryby (Czech), parempi pyy pivossa kuin kymmenen oksalla (Finnish), parempi vähän kuin ei mitään (Finnish), mieux que rien (French), faute de grives, on mange des merles (French), lepszy rydz niż nic (Polish), melhor que nada (Portuguese), a falta de pan, buenas son tortas (Spanish), a mucha hambre, no hay pan duro (Spanish), a pan de quince días, hambre de tres semanas (Spanish), กำขี้ดีกว่ากำตด (gam-kîi-dii-gwàa-gam-dtòt) (Thai)
    Sense id: en-half_a_loaf_is_better_than_none-en-proverb-fl34mrh4 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English proverbs

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for half a loaf is better than none meaning in English (4.0kB)

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "head": ""
      },
      "expansion": "half a loaf is better than none",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "half a loaf is better than none",
      "name": "en-proverb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English proverbs",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1912, Fergus Hume, chapter 1, in A Son of Perdition",
          "text": "\"I have the beginnings of genius,\" he finally decided, \"that is, I can see for myself, but I cannot pass the vision on to others by production.\"\n\"Half a loaf is better than none,\" said Miss Enistor soothingly.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1914, Peter B. Kyne, chapter 16, in The Long Chance",
          "text": "\"I'm a business man, and I tell you before you're half through with this fight, you'll come to the conclusion that half a loaf is better than none at all—particularly in the matter of extra large loaves. You'll come to me and compromise.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1983 February 10, Francis X. Clines, “Reagan's wish is no minimum wage for youths”, in New York Times, retrieved 2014-03-06",
          "text": "\"There are some people,\" he said, \"who would have you so stand on principle that if you don't get all that you've asked for from the legislature, why you jump off the cliff with the flag flying.\" Mr. Reagan said that \"a half a loaf is better than none\" and that unyielding critics had \"misread\" his tactics.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2010 June 17, Michael Scherer, “The President's Spill Speech: The Target Audiences”, in Time, retrieved 2014-03-06",
          "text": "Audience: Green groups\nObama's Pitch: Sometimes half a loaf is better than no loaf at all.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Something is better than nothing: some reward, achievement, result, etc. is preferable to none at all."
      ],
      "id": "en-half_a_loaf_is_better_than_none-en-proverb-fl34mrh4",
      "links": [
        [
          "Something is better than nothing",
          "something is better than nothing"
        ],
        [
          "some",
          "some"
        ],
        [
          "reward",
          "reward"
        ],
        [
          "achievement",
          "achievement"
        ],
        [
          "result",
          "result"
        ],
        [
          "preferable",
          "preferable"
        ],
        [
          "none",
          "none"
        ],
        [
          "at all",
          "at all"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush"
        },
        {
          "word": "perfect is the enemy of good"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "something is better than nothing"
        },
        {
          "word": "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush"
        },
        {
          "word": "beggars can't be choosers"
        },
        {
          "word": "don't look a gift horse in the mouth"
        },
        {
          "word": "satisfactory"
        },
        {
          "word": "half a loaf is better than no bread"
        },
        {
          "word": "half a loaf is better than no loaf"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "malé ryby taky ryby"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "parempi pyy pivossa kuin kymmenen oksalla"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "parempi vähän kuin ei mitään"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "mieux que rien"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "faute de grives, on mange des merles"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "lepszy rydz niż nic"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "melhor que nada"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "a falta de pan, buenas son tortas"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "a mucha hambre, no hay pan duro"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "a pan de quince días, hambre de tres semanas"
        },
        {
          "code": "th",
          "lang": "Thai",
          "roman": "gam-kîi-dii-gwàa-gam-dtòt",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "กำขี้ดีกว่ากำตด"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "half a loaf is better than none"
}
{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "head": ""
      },
      "expansion": "half a loaf is better than none",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "half a loaf is better than none",
      "name": "en-proverb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush"
    },
    {
      "word": "perfect is the enemy of good"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English proverbs",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned",
        "Translation table header lacks gloss"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1912, Fergus Hume, chapter 1, in A Son of Perdition",
          "text": "\"I have the beginnings of genius,\" he finally decided, \"that is, I can see for myself, but I cannot pass the vision on to others by production.\"\n\"Half a loaf is better than none,\" said Miss Enistor soothingly.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1914, Peter B. Kyne, chapter 16, in The Long Chance",
          "text": "\"I'm a business man, and I tell you before you're half through with this fight, you'll come to the conclusion that half a loaf is better than none at all—particularly in the matter of extra large loaves. You'll come to me and compromise.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1983 February 10, Francis X. Clines, “Reagan's wish is no minimum wage for youths”, in New York Times, retrieved 2014-03-06",
          "text": "\"There are some people,\" he said, \"who would have you so stand on principle that if you don't get all that you've asked for from the legislature, why you jump off the cliff with the flag flying.\" Mr. Reagan said that \"a half a loaf is better than none\" and that unyielding critics had \"misread\" his tactics.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2010 June 17, Michael Scherer, “The President's Spill Speech: The Target Audiences”, in Time, retrieved 2014-03-06",
          "text": "Audience: Green groups\nObama's Pitch: Sometimes half a loaf is better than no loaf at all.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Something is better than nothing: some reward, achievement, result, etc. is preferable to none at all."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Something is better than nothing",
          "something is better than nothing"
        ],
        [
          "some",
          "some"
        ],
        [
          "reward",
          "reward"
        ],
        [
          "achievement",
          "achievement"
        ],
        [
          "result",
          "result"
        ],
        [
          "preferable",
          "preferable"
        ],
        [
          "none",
          "none"
        ],
        [
          "at all",
          "at all"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "something is better than nothing"
    },
    {
      "word": "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush"
    },
    {
      "word": "beggars can't be choosers"
    },
    {
      "word": "don't look a gift horse in the mouth"
    },
    {
      "word": "satisfactory"
    },
    {
      "word": "half a loaf is better than no bread"
    },
    {
      "word": "half a loaf is better than no loaf"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "malé ryby taky ryby"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "parempi pyy pivossa kuin kymmenen oksalla"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "parempi vähän kuin ei mitään"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "mieux que rien"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "faute de grives, on mange des merles"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "lepszy rydz niż nic"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "melhor que nada"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "a falta de pan, buenas son tortas"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "a mucha hambre, no hay pan duro"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "a pan de quince días, hambre de tres semanas"
    },
    {
      "code": "th",
      "lang": "Thai",
      "roman": "gam-kîi-dii-gwàa-gam-dtòt",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "กำขี้ดีกว่ากำตด"
    }
  ],
  "word": "half a loaf is better than none"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-22 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (fc4f0c7 and c937495). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.