get/have a handle on

idiom

informal

: to understand and be able to deal with (something)

I can't quite get a handle on the way this machine works.

It seemed like she had a good handle on the situation.

Examples of get/have a handle on in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Here are three ways to get a handle on your debt despite economic headwinds, according to experts. —Ana Teresa Solá, CNBC, 5 July 2025

The Simi Valley Police Department urged members of the public to avoid the area as fire crews worked to get a handle on the blaze. —Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2025

School districts across the state are spending money on tools like THC and vape detectors to try to get a handle on this, said Chris Lagoni, executive director of the Indiana Small and Rural Schools Association. —Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 2 July 2025

The league spent the past year trying to get a handle on its present and future as cord-cutting has led customers to cancel cable (or never sign up) in droves, which puts acute pressure on RSNs and the pro sports franchises that rely on them for rights fees. —Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 18 June 2025