bare-handed

adverb or adjective

bare-hand·​ed ˈber-ˈhan-dəd How to pronounce bare-handed (audio)
1
: without gloves
2
: without tools or weapons
fight an animal bare-handed

Examples of bare-handed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
According to the Vintage Base Ball Association, most players were in the field bare-handed, and gloves and mitts didn’t become common until the mid-1880s. Myrna Petlicki, Chicago Tribune, 22 July 2025 The teams will play a 9-inning bare-handed game, following historic rules. Staff Reports, Hartford Courant, 9 July 2025 Brooks Baldwin followed with a chopper up the middle, with Witt ranging far to his left across second base to snag it before flipping to second baseman Michael Massey, who caught it bare-handed for a force out. Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2025 Millions of people of all ages bend to this labor, bare-handed, bare-chested, without masks. Sallie Tisdale, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024 Shelton ran to the plate on Cade Kurland's chopper toward third but Sprague-Lott made a bare-handed snag and fired home, where Hudson White tagged Shelton out. Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 27 Apr. 2024 One of them handed a disposable hand-warmer to a chilled reporter, who was taking bare-handed notes. Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 31 Jan. 2024 His bare-handed putout in UO’s win over Vanderbilt in the NCAA regional round was among his highlight reel plays. oregonlive, 21 June 2023 The prime minister is a master storyteller, always casting himself as a bare-handed hero fighting a mighty monster: Obama, Iran, the New Israel Fund (a progressive NGO), or his favorite antagonist, the media. Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 6 Feb. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bare-handed was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Bare-handed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bare-handed. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

barehanded

adverb or adjective
bare·​hand·​ed
-ˈhan-dəd
1
: with the hands bare : without gloves or mittens
2
: without tools or weapons
fight an animal barehanded
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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