handed

adjective

hand·​ed ˈhan-dəd 

1

: having a hand or hands especially of a specified kind or number

—usually used in combination

a large-handed man

2

: using a specified hand or number of hands

—used in combination

right-handed

a one-handed catch

Examples of handed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Not long afterward, a poor effort from William Nylander on the Leafs’ top power play unit to just enter the Blackhawks zone led to a turnover and a short-handed goal against. —Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2025

Sam Reinhart scored short-handed and on the power play, and the Florida Panthers concluded a strong four-game road trip with a 5-2 win over the rival Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night. —Miami Herald, 16 Dec. 2025

According to her paperwork, Oakley is a Black-handed spider monkey, a subspecies of the Mexican spider monkey, commonly found in the tropical rainforests of southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, according to Fischer. —Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 16 Dec. 2025

Terry made it 3-2 with a short-handed goal early in the third. —CBS News, 12 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing handed

• bare-handed
• cack-handed
• empty-handed
• four-handed
• ham-handed
• heavy-handed
• high-handed
• left-handed
• light-handed
• one-handed
• red-handed
• right-handed
• single-handed
• sure-handed
• three-handed
• two-handed

Rhymes for handed

• banded
• branded
• candid
• landed
• sanded
• stranded
• backhanded
• commanded
• demanded
• disbanded
• expanded
• misbranded

Kids Definition

handed

adjective

hand·​ed ˈhan-dəd 

: having or using such or so many hands

a right-handed person

handedness noun

Medical Definition

handed

adjective

hand·​ed ˈhan-dəd 

1

: having a hand or hands especially of a specified kind or number

—usually used in combination

a large-handed man

2

: using a specified hand or number of hands

—used in combination

right-handed