1
as in providing
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in passing
to shift possession of (something) from one person to another
the clerk handed her the receipt
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in leaving
to put (something) into the possession or safekeeping of another
handed me her bundles while she fished for her house keys
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of handing
Rosensweig, a former top executive at Yahoo who joined Chegg as CEO in 2010, stepped down from the post in April 2024, handing the job to Schultz, who was operating chief at the time.
—
Annie Palmer, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2025
Jamaican vacation resorts stockpile supplies ahead of hurricane Jamaican vacation resorts are preparing for Hurricane Melissa by stock piling supplies and handing them out to hotel staff and guests.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
With 43 seconds on the clock and a timeout in his back pocket, Albin chose the conservative route, handing the ball off twice and forgoing a Hail Mary to send the game to the half knotted up.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2025
The Irish whiskey meets you up front, its light caramel sweetness amplified by the Chartreuse, while the mid-palate goes deep with vermouth’s red fruit before handing the baton back to the Chartreuse for long finish of herbal fireworks.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2025
Finally, there’s the fact that the Blazers are handing him the gig, with Clingan playing 30 minutes in the opener against Minnesota.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Off to the hottest start in the NHL, New Jersey scored in each period and shut down the Wild’s suddenly struggling power play, winning 4-1 on Wednesday and handing Minnesota its fourth loss in the past five games.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
Tapping into his State Farm acting chops on fourth down while leading 7-0, Mahomes pretended to be frustrated with a Reid play-call before handing the ball off.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2025
Oh, the farmer is handing us pitchforks and shovels.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 20 Oct. 2025
Annie Palmer, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2025
Jamaican vacation resorts stockpile supplies ahead of hurricane Jamaican vacation resorts are preparing for Hurricane Melissa by stock piling supplies and handing them out to hotel staff and guests.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
With 43 seconds on the clock and a timeout in his back pocket, Albin chose the conservative route, handing the ball off twice and forgoing a Hail Mary to send the game to the half knotted up.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2025
The Irish whiskey meets you up front, its light caramel sweetness amplified by the Chartreuse, while the mid-palate goes deep with vermouth’s red fruit before handing the baton back to the Chartreuse for long finish of herbal fireworks.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2025
Finally, there’s the fact that the Blazers are handing him the gig, with Clingan playing 30 minutes in the opener against Minnesota.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Off to the hottest start in the NHL, New Jersey scored in each period and shut down the Wild’s suddenly struggling power play, winning 4-1 on Wednesday and handing Minnesota its fourth loss in the past five games.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
Tapping into his State Farm acting chops on fourth down while leading 7-0, Mahomes pretended to be frustrated with a Reid play-call before handing the ball off.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2025
Oh, the farmer is handing us pitchforks and shovels.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handing
Verb
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Other companies, such as BlackSky and Maxar, are providing their own electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) imagery—that is, images in the visible and infrared light spectrums—commercially.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
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Robb Report has the exclusive on the launch, providing American buyers first access to one of South America’s most ambitious luxury residential projects.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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McVay’s offense inspired imitators as his assistant coaches spread across the NFL over the next few seasons, and while new defensive schemes famously evolved to counter it, 11 personnel seemed a permanent fixture of a league hell-bent on passing.—
Jourdan Rodrigue,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Missourians love their Katy Trail State Park, the former railroad track turned pancake-flat trail stretches some 240 miles across the state, skirting the river, winding through farmlands, and passing through other small towns.—
Erika Ebsworth-Goold,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Maza, already a full Algeria international at 19, was scouted by several Premier League clubs before leaving second-tier Hertha Berlin.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
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At the same time, leaving grass too long over the winter can shade the soil and weaken the grass.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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After being introduced to Picasso, Stein quickly developed a close relationship with him, discussing his work in his cluttered studio, giving him loans, and purchasing his paintings.—
Daphne Merkin,
The Atlantic,
31 Oct. 2025
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Once seated, she is expected to become the 218th signatory on the discharge petition, giving the coalition enough support to force Johnson’s hand.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Williams, an undersized combo forward who carves out space at will and debated turning pro after a first-team All-Big-12 campaign last year, will be the fulcrum of everything after transferring from Texas Tech.—
Sam Vecenie,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
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They've been charged with receiving, transferring and attempting to receive and transfer firearms knowing and having reasonable cause to believe that they would be used to commit terrorism.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Atlas is built for humans delegating to machines.—
The AI Insider,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Besides work-life balance and trying to do too much all at once, the next biggest challenge for first-time coaches is delegating authority.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The batteries supplying the power for the Longbows are unknown.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
31 Oct. 2025
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The 650,000 barrel-a-day Dangote Refinery in Lagos is Nigeria’s largest and sole private refinery, supplying 20 million liters of petrol to the country daily.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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According to the New York Times, the Category 5 hurricane is expected to make landfall later today, Tuesday, October 28, with authorities warning of torrential rain, severe flooding and storm surges reaching up to 13 feet along the island’s southern coast.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Oct. 2025
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This was a momentous development for child-care proponents such as myself, who have long argued that wide-reaching free programs are crucial for parents and for a healthy democracy.—
Elliot Haspel,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Handing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handing. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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