handler

noun

han·​dler ˈhan-dᵊl-ər 

ˈhan(d)-lər

1

: one that handles something

2

a

: a person in immediate physical charge of an animal

especially : a person who exhibits dogs at shows or field trials

b

: a person who trains or acts as second for a boxer

c

: a manager of a political or public figure or campaign

Examples of handler in a Sentence

a dog handler and breeder

a politician and his handlers

Recent Examples on the Web

The vulnerabilities, impacting the Ubuntu core-dump handler known as Apport, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 and 10, plus Fedora, with the systemd-coredump handler, are both of the race-condition variety. —Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025

The border collies and their handler make daily patrols along the milelong airfield to ensure birds and other wildlife stay away from planes and keep passengers and crew safe. —Arkansas Online, 1 June 2025

The facility’s food safety manager certificate was not available at time of inspection, while some employees had incomplete or expired food handler cards. —Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 30 May 2025

The highest-paid was a state police dog handler, who received $439,000 overall for 2024, including the highest amount of overtime at $303,000. —Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 21 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing handler

• ball handler