hand Hear it!

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

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 Synonyms

hand

v.

deliver, give to, return; see give 1.

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.
  • lend: Meanwhile Phil appears later to lend a hand with stories of Lynda's attempts to pay Tommy to be in the Mikado!
  • outstretch: Most often the injury is caused by a blow to the shoulder or by falling on an outstretched hand.

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.
  • other: The pup, on the other hand, rapidly gains weight feeding on milk, which contains about 60 % fat.
  • upper: God had the upper hand from beginning to end.
  • right: After 200 yards there is a right hand turn down a track.
  • bare: For students who are studying for 1-3 months, they should be able to cut a brick in two using their bare hands!

Modifies a noun

  • basin: The Fiorelli hand basin has a kidney shaped interior with a wider back.
  • side: On the right hand side is the headline: WARNING!
  • corner: Click on next at the bottom right hand corner of the list to see the next 10 results.
  • luggage: Thankfully, they just let me through without examining my hand luggage; otherwise, who knows what could have happened.
  • lane: At Hyde Park Corner turn left into Park Lane right hand lane.
  • grenade: During the First World War the company manufactured hand grenades and other cast iron products for use at the front.

Noun used with modifier

  • wash: Do not eat, drink or smoke while applying the product and wash hands after use.
  • pedestal: Pedestal hand basin, close coupled w.c. , heated ladder towel rail, recessed downlights to smooth finished ceiling.
  • dab: Geoff is a dab hand at Indian dishes, which can be enjoyed on the premises or to take away.

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.

Browse dictionary entries near hand

  1. ‹ Hancock
  2. ‹ hanaper
  3. ‹ Han Cities
  4. ‹ Han
  5. ‹ hamza
  6. ‹ hamulus
  7. ‹ Hamsun
  8. ‹ hamstring
  9. ‹ hamster
  10. ‹ Hampton Roads
  1. hand and foot ›
  2. hand around ›
  3. hand down ›
  4. hand-feed ›
  5. hand glass ›
  6. hand grenade ›
  7. hand-held ›
  8. hand-holding ›
  9. hand in ›
  10. hand in glove ›