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hand down
verb
handed down; handing down; hands down
1
: to transmit in succession (as from father to son)
2
: to make official formulation of and express (the opinion of a court)
Examples of hand down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
An Ada County jury on Tuesday handed down a guilty verdict for a Nampa man who killed the suspect in his mother’s stabbing death.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 15 May 2024
The sentence was handed down on May 8, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
—Jason Green, The Mercury News, 13 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for hand down
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hand down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near hand down
Cite this Entry
“Hand down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand%20down. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
Kids Definition
hand down
verb1
: to pass down from older to younger (as from parent to child)
2
: to form and express a judicial decision
Legal Definition
hand down
transitive verb1
: to deliver (the decision or opinion of an appellate court) to the proper office of an inferior court
2
: to make an official formulation of and announce (the decision of a court)
More from Merriam-Webster on hand down
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hand down
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