How to Use handicap in a Sentence

handicap

1 of 2 noun
  • His shyness was a handicap in his job.
  • She's been practicing a lot and her handicap has gone down from 18 to 12.
  • That makes this a tough club to handicap.
    — Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
  • Of course, blame Dad for any handicaps.
    — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 25 May 2026
  • Not the one who improved their golf handicap.
    — Phil Blair, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2025
  • It should be noted that Weiss had its own handicap.
    — Rick Cantu, Austin American Statesman, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Shape of brush The overall shape of a scrub brush can be an asset or a handicap.
    — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Did my week with Luigi at Manele up my game and lower my handicap?
    — Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 28 May 2026
  • The cars' real handicaps were a lack of liquid cooling for the battery packs.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Obviousness is this film’s handicap — and the main joke.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
  • Golf's deliberate pace and less-than-bustling scenery give it something of a handicap in the realm of sports movies.
    — Jesse Hassenger, Entertainment Weekly, 18 June 2026
  • Julian would dismiss the first two, claiming that wokeness gives an old, white male like him the handicap.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
  • That’s my strength, my superpower and my handicap.
    — Mará Rose Williams august 6, Kansas City Star, 6 Aug. 2025
  • All of the electric buses are equipped with accessories for students with handicaps.
    — Harley Walls, Arkansas Online, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Constant elections in America were in no way a handicap.
    — Mishal Husain, Bloomberg, 15 May 2026
  • The parking area is handicap accessible, as well as the free tram service from the lot to the festival grounds.
    — Chris Sims, IndyStar, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Keep your eye on the predictions and handicap accordingly, though this field offers a dearth of off-track options.
    — Teresa Genaro, New York Times, 5 June 2026
  • That is, after establishing their handicap, the slowest runners start first, and the fastest runners go off last.
    — John Meyer, Denver Post, 20 May 2026
  • The noises, which were gunshots, were getting louder, so the three of us rushed into a bathroom with a crowd of people and hid in the handicap stall.
    — Patience Carter, Teen Vogue, 11 June 2017
  • That was a huge handicap for McNeil and Boers, who had to sign off in late afternoon in late fall and winter.
    — Phil Rosenthal, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
  • There is one handicap accessible Deluxe Suite.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Each division named a champion based on their gross score, or total strokes taken, and their net score, which is adjusted by the player’s handicap.
    — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Moscow relies heavily on oil revenue to finance its war on Ukraine, and sanctions were a growing handicap.
    — Will Weissert, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
  • Moscow relies heavily on oil revenue to finance its war on Ukraine, and sanctions were a growing handicap.
    — Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
  • Moscow relies heavily on oil revenue to finance its war on Ukraine, and sanctions were a growing handicap.
    — ABC News, 14 Mar. 2026
  • Quite the handicap, for an officer sent on sensitive diplomatic missions.
    — Olivia Wolfgang-Smith february 4, Literary Hub, 4 Feb. 2025
  • Dweezil Zappa is probably a 6 [handicap].
    — Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 4 May 2026
  • There also will be 11 standard and two handicap slots along Barrington Avenue in front of the building.
    — Erin Sauder, Elgin Courier-News, 9 June 2017
  • Consider that the average male 14-handicap golfer has a driver swing speed of 90–95 mph.
    — Scott Kramer, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026
  • Moscow relies heavily on oil revenue to finance its invasion and sanctions were a growing handicap.
    — Sylvie Corbet, Arkansas Online, 14 Mar. 2026

handicap

2 of 2 verb
  • It's very hard to handicap the election at this point.
  • Bowlsby refused to handicap how any vote on the season might go.
    — Chuck Carlton, Dallas News, 11 Aug. 2020
  • The blow to the back of Belue's head handicapped her during the attack.
    — Rebecca Hennes, Houston Chronicle, 13 Sep. 2019
  • So, with that, here’s his latest advice on things to look at when handicapping.
    — John Cherwa, latimes.com, 24 Feb. 2018
  • Its read and write speeds can be handicapped by your computer hardware.
    — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2025
  • Yet the results of the last two weeks have caused chaos for anyone trying to handicap the playoff field.
    — New York Times, 10 Nov. 2021
  • To make matters worse, the slow-working Jansen could be handicapped by the advent of the pitch clock.
    — Dan Schlossberg, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2023
  • Bottom-feeder bowls are tricky to handicap in the best of circumstances.
    — Ken Goe, OregonLive.com, 12 Dec. 2017
  • Beyond those six, the numbers get a little harder to handicap.
    — Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star, 23 Aug. 2019
  • He’s gone back to Charlie for the Belmont, a fact not lost on those who will try and handicap the race.
    — John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2021
  • Depth was thin by the end of the season, and the group’s performance handicapped what could have been a stellar season.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 8 Aug. 2025
  • The government was handicapped for a time by lack of high-speed craft and men to man them, but this deficiency has now been met.
    — Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, 11 Feb. 2019
  • Should we be handed another gadget that could handicap our social skills?
    — Sloane Crosley, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
  • That kind of transparency could handicap the giants that hold sway in the corporate bond market.
    — Bloomberg.com, 19 Jan. 2018
  • That meant a long wait, trying not to handicap the odds as other competitors took the stage, trying not to lose focus on their own game.
    — Lawrence Specker | [email protected], al, 13 Aug. 2023
  • What a shame the NBA has allowed this to happen to handicap the Heat.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Regional experts are aghast and handicapping the odds of a costly great-power war.
    — Adam Weinstein, The New Republic, 3 Jan. 2020
  • My sister Eloisa is a retired teacher, my brother is handicapped in a wheelchair.
    — Bob Ortega, CNN, 22 Nov. 2019
  • While standing guard to make sure none of the contestants are stolen, the farmers handicap the top five just by looking at and tapping the gourds.
    — Sam Whiting, SFChronicle.com, 11 Oct. 2020
  • Rourke said the 2024 changes to the law unduly handicap his office.
    — Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 27 Sep. 2025
  • As parents, the impulse to protect our children is strong, but that very protection can end up handicapping them for life.
    — Fox News, 10 Sep. 2018
  • Swift simply refuses to pass this baton, and her kung fu grip on pop’s crown handicapped this record and watered down her best qualities.
    — Bianca Davino, Refinery29, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Some severely bad picks and process in the first round have handicapped the Packers’ ceiling tremendously.
    — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
  • My only advice to investors looking to handicap what comes next for Tesla's share price would be to remain humble.
    — Ben Carlson, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2020
  • The building is handicapped accessible and admission to the event is free and open to the general public.
    — Courant Community, 20 Mar. 2018
  • This is not an exhaustive list, but rather an attempt to handicap several tiers of the field from which Indiana will hope to hire its next head coach.
    — Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Mar. 2021
  • The San Diego Padres have a lot of money tied up in their star position players, which handicaps them in free agency.
    — Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Nov. 2025
  • The conflict has led to big swings in equities, bonds, currencies and commodities markets, with traders trying to handicap how long the war will last.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Our handicapping teacher, Rob Henie, was bothered by the comments of some of the pundits.
    — John Cherwa, latimes.com, 21 May 2018
  • While the Orioles are preparing for it, Showalter wouldn’t handicap the likelihood of adding free-agent starters.
    — Eduardo A. Encina, baltimoresun.com, 15 Feb. 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'handicap.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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