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hand definition

hand (hand)

noun

Etymology: ME < OE, akin to Goth handus < base of -hinthan, to seize (hence, basic sense “grasper”) < ? IE base *kent-, ? to seize

adjective

  1. of or for the hand or hands
  2. made by hand
  3. controlled by hand; manual

transitive verb

  1. to pass or give with or as with the hand; transfer; transmit; deliver
  2. ☆ to give; provide with it handed them a laugh
  3. to help, conduct, steady, etc. by means of the hand to hand a lady into her car
  4. Naut. to furl (a sail)
hand Idioms

(at) first hand

from the original source; directly

at hand

  1. near; close by
  2. immediately available

(at) second hand

  1. not from the original source; indirectly
  2. not new; previously used

at the hand of

or at the hands of
through the action of

by hand

not by machines but with the hands

change hands

to pass from one owner to another

eat out of someone's hand

to be completely dominated by or devoted to someone

force someone's hand

Etymology: orig. a whist term

to force someone to act, or declare intentions, before he or she is ready

from hand to hand

from one person's possession to another's

from hand to mouth

with just enough for immediate needs and nothing left over for the future

hand and foot

  1. so that the hands and feet cannot move bound hand and foot
  2. constantly and diligently to wait on someone hand and foot

hand down

  1. to give as an inheritance; bequeath
  2. ☆ to announce or deliver (a verdict, etc.)

hand in

to give; submit

hand in glove

or hand and glove
in intimate association; in close agreement or cooperation

hand in hand

  1. holding each other's hand
  2. together; in cooperation or correlation

hand it to

☆
Slang to give deserved credit to

hand off

Sports to hand (the ball) to a teammate during a play

hand on

to pass along; transmit

hand out

to distribute; deal out

hand over

to give up; deliver

hand over fist

Informal easily and in large amounts

hands down

without effort; easily

hands off!

don't touch!don't interfere!

hands up!

☆ raise your hands over your head!: an order given by a person pointing a gun, etc.

hand to hand

at close quarters: said of fighting

hand up

to present (an indictment) to a court: said of a grand jury

have one's hands full

to be extremely busy; be doing as much as one can

hold hands

to hold each other's hand, esp. in affection

in hand

  1. in order or control
  2. in possession
  3. being worked on; in process

join hands

  1. to become associates; enter into partnership
  2. to become husband and wife

keep one's hand in

to keep in practice in order to retain one's skill

lay hands on

  1. to attack, injure, or punish physically
  2. to get hold of; seize; take
  3. to place the hands on ceremonially, as in blessing or ordaining

not lift a hand

to do nothing; not even try

off one's hands

no longer in one's care; out of one's responsibility

on every hand

on all sides; in all directions

on hand

  1. near
  2. ☆ available or ready
  3. ☆ present

on one's hands

in one's care; being one's responsibility

on the one hand

from one point of view

on the other hand

from the opposed point of view

out of hand

  1. out of control
  2. immediately; without preliminaries or delay
  3. over and done with

show one's hand

Etymology: orig. with reference to card playing

to disclose one's intentions

take in hand

  1. to take control of or responsibility for
  2. to take up; handle; treat
  3. to try; attempt

throw up one's hands

to give up in despair

to hand

  1. near; accessible
  2. in one's possession

turn (or put) one's hand to

to undertake; work at

wash one's hands of

to refuse to go on with or take responsibility for

with a heavy hand

  1. in a heavy manner; without delicacy or grace
  2. with severity or sternness

with a high hand

with arrogance; in an arbitrary or dictatorial manner

with clean hands

without guilt; as an innocent person
Hand definition

Hand (hand)

Hand, (Billings) Learned (lʉr′nid) 1872-1961; U.S. jurist

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms hand idiom

medical hand definition - medical

hand Synonyms

hand

n.

  1. The termination of the arm

    fingers, palm, grip, grasp, hold, phalanges, metacarpus, knuckles, paw*, duke*, hook*, shaker*, fin*, grappler*, forklift*; see also fist.

  2. *A workman

    helper, worker, hired hand; see laborer.

  3. Handwriting

    chirography, script, penmanship; see handwriting.

  4. Aid

    help, guidance, instruction; see aid 1, support 3.

  5. Ability

    control, knack, skill; see ability 2.

  6. *Applause

    ovation, round of applause, thunderous reception, handclapping; see praise 2.

  7. Round of cards

    cards, deal, round; see game 1.

at first hand

from the original source, directly, originally; see original 1.

at hand

  1. near, close by, accessible, convenient; see available, near 1.

  2. imminent, approaching, coming, impending;

at second hand

by the way, on hearsay, by rumor; see indirectly.

at the hand of

done by, responsible for, in charge of; see by 2.

by hand

handcrafted, home-made, manual; see handmade.

change hands

transfer, pass on, shift, be sold, be under new management, change ownership, be conveyed; see also give 1.

eat out of one's hand

be tame, submit, acquiesce; see obey 1, yield 1.

force one's hand

drive, force, pressure; see press 1.

from hand to hand

shifted, given over, changed; see transferred.

from hand to mouth

from day to day, from paycheck to paycheck, by necessity, in poverty, precariously, meagerly; see poor 1.

in hand

under control, in order, all right; see managed.

join hands

unite, associate, agree; see join 1.

keep one's hand in

carry on, continue, make a practice of; see practice 1.

lay hands on

find, take, arrest, apprehend; see seize 1, 2.

not lift a hand

do nothing, be lazy, not try; see neglect 1, 2.

off one's hands

out of one's responsibility, no longer one's concern, not accountable for; see irresponsible.

on every hand

on all sides, at all times, all over; see everywhere.

on hand

ready, close by, usable; see available.

on one's hands

in one's care or responsibility, chargeable to one, accountable to; see responsible 1.

on the other hand

otherwise, conversely, however, from the opposite position; see opposing 2.

out of hand

out of control, wild, unmanageable; see unruly.

show <strong>or </strong>tip one's hand

disclose, divulge, confess; see reveal 1.

take in hand

take control of, take responsibility for, take over, handle; see try 1.

throw up one's hands

give up, resign, quit; see yield 1.

to hand

close by, at hand, immediate; see near 1.

turn one's hand to

attempt, endeavor, try one's hand at; see try 2.

wash one's hands of

deny, reject, refuse; see denounce.

with a heavy hand

oppressive, harsh, coercive; see cruel 2, severe 2.

with a high hand

arbitrarily, tyrannically, oppressively, highhandedly; see arrogantly.

with clean hands

guiltless, blameless, inculpable; see innocent 1.


hand

v.

deliver, give to, return; see give 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

hand Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • shake: On entering a full room of people, Britons don't shake hands or greet everyone in the room.

Preposition: on

  • tiller: John's insightful, experienced presence and calm and careful hand on the tiller is already proving of great benefit to our deliberations.

Adjective modifier

  • left: There was no left hand or right hand side at the time.

Modifies a noun

  • basin: The Fiorelli hand basin has a kidney shaped interior with a wider back.

Noun used with modifier

  • wash: Do not eat, drink or smoke while applying the product and wash hands after use.

Followed by a transitive particle

  • over: Sources said that the surveillance officers wanted to detain de Menezes, but were told to hand over the operation to the firearms team.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • over: He can insist that the private key be handed over, rather than plain text.
hand usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

hand quotes

The spacious firmament on high, With all the blue ethereal sky, And spangled heavens, a shining frame, Their great Original proclaim. Th'unwearied sun from day to day Does his Creator's power display; And publishes to every land The work of an Almighty hand.

-Addison,Joseph

In Reason's ear they all rejoice, And utter forth a glorious voice, For ever singing, as they shine: 'The hand that made us is divine.'

-Addison,Joseph

Genet had been right at least about one thing. Blacks should be used to play whites. For centuries we had probed their faces, the angles of their bodies, the sounds of their voices and even their odors.Often our survival had depended on the accurate reading of a white man's chuckle or the disdainful wave of a white woman's hand.

-Angelou, Maya originally MayaJohnson

hand quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"hand." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/hand>

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hand. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/hand

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