hand 1 of 2

noun

ˈhand How to pronounce hand (audio)
Definition of handnext
1
as in side
a certain way in which something appears or may be regarded on the one hand, you would have more storage space in a larger house, but on the other, you would have more rooms to heat

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2
as in flank
a place, space, or direction away from or beyond a central point or line tall buildings rose on either hand nothing but wide open space on either hand

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in needle
an arrow-shaped piece on a dial or scale for registering information both hands of the clock pointed to 12

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4
as in employee
one who works for another for wages or a salary the restaurant always hires several more hands for the busy summer season

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5
as in handwriting
the form or style of a particular person's writing writes with a flowing, old-fashioned hand

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6
as in control
usually hands plural the ability to direct the course of something the final decision is in your hands

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7
as in possession
hands plural the fact or state of having (something) at one's disposal I'd like to get my hands on that vintage Cadillac convertible

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8
as in assistance
an act or instance of helping the downstairs tenant gave us a hand getting the heavy dresser up the stairs

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9
as in expert
a person with a high level of knowledge or skill in a field once she got her own place, the young woman showed that she was quite a hand at interior decoration

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10
as in signature
a person's name written in their own handwriting often given to indicate awareness or consent the subpoena required a lawyer's hand

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hand

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to provide
to put (something) into the possession of someone for use or consumption was happy to hand her grandmother's cookie recipes to the parish ladies to put in their cookbook

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to pass
to shift possession of (something) from one person to another the clerk handed her the receipt

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3
as in to leave
to put (something) into the possession or safekeeping of another handed me her bundles while she fished for her house keys

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of hand
Noun
The assault charge stems from when the opposing party attempted to film Bryant before the 37-year-old father of three knocked the phone out of his hand. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Oct. 2026 Lauren Jones, a photographer from Savannah, Georgia, told Glamour that after acne-like rashes appeared on her cheeks, her esthetician instructed her to wash only with cold water and her hands for four weeks. — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2026
Verb
Its rival OpenAI has similarly discussed handing a 5% stake to the US government, as both companies gear up for record-breaking IPOs in the face of increasingly negative public reactions to their technological advances. — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026 The report also noted that consumers won’t hand AI their credit card. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand
  1. side
  2. needle
  3. employee
  4. handwriting
  5. control
  6. possession
  7. assistance
  8. expert
Noun
  • That knack for making music that sounds more like an irruption in the environment than an assemblage of instruments carries across the six sides of vinyl that comprise From the Toolkit of Lovers.
    — Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Neither side has indicated when the temporary truce would end.
    — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of side
Noun
  • Naturally, the team now wants to unravel how the neurons are signaling and processing feedback across these connected machines, and also see if adding more connections could shift the needle even further in the right direction.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Appointments typically start with a consultation and a review of TMJ history, followed by cleaning the jawline, mapping injection points with a white eyeliner pencil and placing botulinum toxin into the muscle with very thin needles.
    — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of needle
Noun
  • Flock employees urged the company to adopt stronger security after a 2024 breach.
    — Douglas MacMillan, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The company has about 40 employees across San Francisco and New York and plans to reach around 75 by the end of the year.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of employee
Noun
  • Bahdanau was working with artificial neural networks, which had already shown promise in pattern-recognition tasks such as deciphering handwriting and identifying objects in photos.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Some handwriting experts wondered whether a lack of panache in penmanship was generational.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of handwriting
Noun
  • On September 19, Miller’s forecast gave the Republicans an almost 36% chance of retaining control of the upper chamber.
    — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • But two more scores from Rexroat of 5 and 54 yards maintained the Eagles’ control of the game.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of control
Noun
  • Salceda was charged with one count of murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • She was given 10 days to surrender her certificate of naturalization, along with any copies in her possession, to government attorneys.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of possession
Noun
  • Haaland, a citizen of Laguna Pueblo in west-central New Mexico, once relied on government assistance as a single mother.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Dozens of people were convicted in connection with a sprawling, $250-million children’s food assistance scheme that predated this administration, though more charges have been announced in recent months.
    — Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of assistance
Noun
  • Several outside experts agreed with him, calling the methods state-of-the-art.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Legal experts have echoed those concerns, noting that relying on the NVRA’s general preamble language to halt state election certification lacks precedent.
    — Hugh Son, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of expert

Phrases Containing hand

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hamstrung
hand
handbag
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Cite this Entry

“Hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on hand

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hand

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