bare-handed

adverb or adjective

bare-hand·​ed ˈber-ˈhan-dəd How to pronounce bare-handed (audio)
1
: without gloves
2
: without tools or weapons
fight an animal bare-handed

Examples of bare-handed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Smith makes a stunning bare-handed grab on a chopper, but his throw to first pulls Farris off the bag. — Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 24 Mar. 2026 All players then played bare-handed for years and later used a thin-fitting mitten that was hardly a glove at all. — Chuck Murr, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026 The teams will play a 9-inning bare-handed game, following historic rules. — Staff Reports, Hartford Courant, 9 July 2025 Millions of people of all ages bend to this labor, bare-handed, bare-chested, without masks. — Sallie Tisdale, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024 Shouldn’t Toboni have taken off down the left-field line, trying to make that old, bare-handed Kevin Mitchell play? — Barry Svrluga, New York Times, 21 May 2026 Brooks Baldwin followed with a chopper up the middle, with Witt ranging far to his left across second base to snag it before flipping to second baseman Michael Massey, who caught it bare-handed for a force out. — Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2025 According to the Vintage Base Ball Association, most players were in the field bare-handed, and gloves and mitts didn’t become common until the mid-1880s. — Myrna Petlicki, Chicago Tribune, 22 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bare-handed was in the 15th century

Rhymes for bare-handed

See All Rhymes for bare-handed

Browse Nearby Words

barehand
bare-handed
bareheaded
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Cite this Entry

“Bare-handed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bare-handed. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

barehanded

adverb or adjective
bare·​hand·​ed
-ˈhan-dəd
1
: with the hands bare : without gloves or mittens
2
: without tools or weapons
fight an animal barehanded
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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