{"id":1822,"date":"2014-12-02T13:55:10","date_gmt":"2014-12-02T18:55:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/?p=1822"},"modified":"2025-04-07T13:30:14","modified_gmt":"2025-04-07T17:30:14","slug":"flags-half-staff-or-half-mast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/flags-half-staff-or-half-mast\/","title":{"rendered":"Are flags at half-staff or half-mast?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ah, the question we get all the time.\u00a0 Which is correct, half-staff or half-mast? \u00a0The answer is a little more complicated than the question suggests.<\/p>\n

\"Union<\/a>
Union Jacks flying at half mast in London. Photo by Link Humans<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to Wikipedia, the term half-mast goes back to the 17th Century, although it’s not specific about where that was found.\u00a0 <\/span>It is, however, the term used in nearly all English speaking countries, except for the United States.<\/p>\n

Most dictionaries list half-mast but show half-staff as a synonym.\u00a0 <\/span>In that case, both would be considered correct.<\/p>\n

Merriam-Webster<\/a><\/span> defines half-mast as “a point some distance but not necessarily halfway down below the top of a mast or staff or the peak of a gaff.” \u00a0If you look up half-staff it refers you to half-mast. According to the site, the first known use of half-mast was in 1588, while half-staff’s first known use was in 1708.<\/p>\n

Collins Dictionary<\/span><\/a> shows\u00a0a similar result. \u00a0While the definition is slightly different, it too refers half-staff to the results for half-mast.<\/p>\n

\"State<\/a>
State House Flags at Half-staff for Memorial Day. Photo by James Walsh<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the United States, the phrase half-staff has become the proper term.\u00a0 <\/span>In US flag code, established in 1923 and adopted as public law in 1942, the term half-staff is used exclusively.\u00a0 <\/span>While many Americans like to say that half-mast is the correct usage on a ship,\u00a0we have not found any official document that says this. \u00a0The US Navy website<\/span><\/a> does use the term half-mast but it doesn’t specify the\u00a0type of pole.<\/p>\n

US Flag Code<\/span><\/a>\u00a0defines half-staff as “the position of the flag when it is one-half the distance between the top and bottom of the staff.”<\/p>\n

US news agencies have solved the problem for themselves by creating their own rules.\u00a0 These rules are<\/span>\u00a0used to create consistency throughout their articles, and also includes how the agency treats words like OK vs. Okay.\u00a0 <\/span>We’ve found that they generally use half-staff (in keeping with flag code) but have chosen to use half-mast if referring specifically to maritime use.\u00a0 <\/span>It’s not clear if these usage rules predate the US opinion that half-mast is reserved for maritime installations or if they were written because of the opinion.<\/p>\n

Reuters<\/span><\/a> uses half-staff over half-mast\u00a0in a ration about 6:1.<\/p>\n

The Associated Press<\/span><\/a> uses half-staff over half-mast\u00a0in a ration about 23:1.<\/p>\n

So, we know that there isn’t much agreement on the proper term to describe it, but luckily we do agree on the how and why of lowering a flag. \u00a0The act of lowering the flag shows mourning or respect. \u00a0This is a common practice in many countries around the world as described at Wikipedia<\/span><\/a>. It is also commonly done by raising the flag first to the full height of the pole (briskly) and then (slowly or ceremoniously) lowering it to the halfway\u00a0point.<\/p>\n

Hey, at least we can agree on that. \u00a0If you’ve got a flag etiquette question, please use the comments section to ask them, or sign up for our half-staff alerts and notifications<\/span><\/a> for more details.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ah, the question we get all the time.\u00a0 Which is correct, half-staff or half-mast? \u00a0The answer is a little more complicated than the question suggests. According to Wikipedia, the term half-mast goes back to the 17th Century, although it’s not specific about where that was found.\u00a0 It is, however, the term used in nearly all… continue<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[10,141,24,239,240],"class_list":["post-1822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-flag-information","tag-american-flag","tag-etiquette","tag-half-staff","tag-half-mast","tag-united-states"],"yoast_head":"\nAre flags at half-staff or half-mast?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Which is correct. half-staff or half-mast. 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