hand over 1 of 2

verb

Definition of hand overnext
1
as in to relinquish
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress the police officer ordered the suspect to hand over his weapons

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2
as in to provide
to put (something) into the possession of someone for use or consumption in response to a desperate plea, we handed over all our extra blankets and pillows to the homeless shelter

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3
as in to hand
to put (something) into the possession or safekeeping of another handed over their valuables to the desk clerk, who put them in the hotel safe

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4
as in to pass
to shift possession of (something) from one person to another hand over that screwdriver, will you please?

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handover

2 of 2

noun

as in surrender
the usually forced yielding of one's person or possessions to the control of another though the handover of my wallet was painful, it was better than getting shot by some trigger-happy punk

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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 over
Verb
Shortly after giving his team a temporary lead on Monday, the athlete put his hands over his face before looking up at the sky and pointing upward, as shown in a video shared by Fox Sports. — Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026 Hours later, as the bodies of the children were being handed over to their families, scenes of anguish unfolded outside hospitals and in the neighborhood on the outskirts of Lahore where the private tutoring center was located in a house. — CNN Money, 1 July 2026
Noun
The latest handover also includes vehicles for the Arctic Region Test Center in Alaska and the 11th Airborne Division. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 July 2026 The Fire Department was set to hand control of the building back to Lineage on Monday, but Chief Jaime Moore said that an official handover would have to take place later this week because of ongoing efforts to eliminate hot spots in the warehouse. — Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for hand over
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand over
  1. relinquish
  2. provide
  3. hand
  4. surrender
  5. render
  6. give
  7. leave
  8. submission
Verb
  • Willow Nightingale relinquished the championship in May due to a shoulder injury that also forced her out of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, leading AEW to create this match to crown a new champion.
    — Rob Wolkenbrod, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • But for Iran, reopening the strait does not mean relinquishing control of it.
    — Xiaoqian Lin, CNN Money, 29 June 2026
Definition of relinquish
Verb
  • Stroll the historic downtown for antiques, art, and more, all while the adjacent Truckee River provides a natural soundtrack.
    — Chelsee Lowe, Travel + Leisure, 1 July 2026
  • The state also provides a $20 per month taxable subsidy for workers who commute using a bike for at least half of work days each month.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of provide
Verb
  • For purpose, whether anyone can trace their daily work to the larger picture without being handed a slogan.
    — Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • In the midst of handing the job over to his son, even as Diego is making a speech about water supplies, hygiene and education, Don Alejandro snatches it back to cheers, clutches his heart and dies.
    — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
Definition of hand
Noun
  • Bank in, low block, surrender possession, everyone behind the ball, defend for your lives, play on the counter, hope for a set piece — there’s nothing wrong with any of that.
    — Stuart James, New York Times, 5 July 2026
  • Hingham is the birthplace of Major General Benjamin Lincoln — George Washington’s second-in-command, who famously accepted the British surrender at Yorktown — and home to the direct ancestors of Abraham Lincoln.
    — Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 4 July 2026
Definition of surrender
Verb
  • About 11,000 light-years away from Earth, the supernova Cassiopeia A’s X-rays (seen above) are rendered in blue and purple, while infrared wavelengths are shown in red and white using data from JWST.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 2 July 2026
  • Still, Twain squandered his own fortune and Livy’s inheritance on developing Paige’s invention, even as the Mergenthaler Linotype became the industry standard, rendering Paige’s machine worthless.
    — Ron Chernow, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
Definition of render
Verb
  • When this place is eventually gone — a phrase that feels truly bizarre given the environment this summer and the half-century preceding it — the lasting images will be the seas of red.
    — Sam McDowell Updated July 3, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026
  • Officials advise the public to give bears space and not let pets bother them.
    — Finch Walker, USA Today, 4 July 2026
Definition of give
Verb
  • The video assistant referee called for a review of the play while the two were down getting tended to by trainers, leaving the Americans to nurse their lead down a man for the rest of the game.
    — Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026
  • Two of the attackers then smashed the windshield of the news van with a parking cone and damaged the camera before leaving the scene.
    — Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 2 July 2026
Definition of leave
Noun
  • The statement amounted to a complete submission to Thomas, who used her Tuesday media availability to blast Engelbert.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026
  • With three different categories, judges from across the USA TODAY Network ranked each submission in order to narrow down the contest to just 30 finalists.
    — Krista Johnson, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of submission

Browse Nearby Words

handouts
hand over
handover
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Cite this Entry

“Hand over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand%20over. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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