English · Slang Attested

half seas over

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Slightly drunk, or, possibly in meiosis, very drunk.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Say rượu nhẹ hoặc rất say

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

Many of my readers will recollect the memorable night, on which William Pitt and his ingenious friend and jovial compotator, Harry Dundas, went into the House of Commons, in a condition usually described by the phrase "of being half seas over."

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Topics: Sea & boats Dated

Common questions

What does “half seas over” mean?

Slightly drunk, or, possibly in meiosis, very drunk.

Is “half seas over” formal or informal?

half seas over is generally dated, slang.