glad-handed; glad-handing; glad-hands
: to extend a glad hand to
candidates glad-handing everyone they meet
: to extend a glad hand
glad-handing as if he were running for mayor
: a warm welcome or greeting often prompted by ulterior reasons
"ə(r)
1
: one given to glad-handing : one ready to extend a glad hand
the home-loving, comfort-loving, rotund glad-hander—
Christopher Rand
Christopher Randthis big, friendly fellow—a glad-hander who really seemed to mean it—R. M. Yoder
R. M. Yoder2
: one who is appointed to meet or greet others and win their goodwill
a shy glad-hander, a public-relations man with a highly developed sense of privacy—Dwight Macdonald
Dwight MacdonaldExamples of glad-hand in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Literary Hub, 7 May 2026
If Nelson wants to recharge his battery at home and not glad-hand with politicians in D.C., that’s his prerogative.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 25 Feb. 2026
One was Mike Rawlings, the city’s glad-handing former mayor.
—Tad Friend, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Beginning tonight in Miami, Dokoupil begins a glad-handing tour of America, which means CBS Evening News will be filmed live (for the East Coast/tape-delayed for the west) in a new studio each night (for a little while, at least).
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 6 Jan. 2026
Russia has continued to ramp up attacks on Ukraine, including on civilians, even as Putin met with Trump in Alaska and glad-handed other US officials.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
Carrier didn’t fit any stereotype of a glad-handing huckster with a bad loan to sell.
—Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 13 May 2025
Later, at a lavish lunch in Al-Yamamah Palace, Trump and the crown prince began an hourlong glad-handing session featuring Saudi royals, officials and military commanders.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025
The vice president of production (Ike Barinholtz) is more typically the kind of strategically glad-handing guy who makes it to the top.
—Nina Metz, Boston Herald, 27 Mar. 2025
Sharon Lafraniere, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2024
Arguably the most notorious figure from the game’s most storied rivalry flew from his South Florida home to Boston for Tuesday night’s game and was expected to glad hand a few Yankees before, for many of them, the biggest game of their lives.
—Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 5 Oct. 2021
Abbott took in his first term wasn’t as effective as Perry’s more glad handing approach to the job, Jillson said.
—Allie Morris, Dallas News, 22 Mar. 2020
His medium, his material, is human frailty, the near end of original sin, and the tools of his trade are the glad hand, the scratched back, the padded envelope, the cut corner, and the jumped line.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 5 Oct. 2017
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.
Verb
Even if Alex Murdaugh is a monster, how did South Carolina’s Low Country, with its good-ol’-boy networks and slipshod, glad-handing business practices, allow his monstrosity to flourish?
—Literary Hub, 7 May 2026
If Nelson wants to recharge his battery at home and not glad-hand with politicians in D.C., that’s his prerogative.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 25 Feb. 2026
One was Mike Rawlings, the city’s glad-handing former mayor.
—Tad Friend, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Beginning tonight in Miami, Dokoupil begins a glad-handing tour of America, which means CBS Evening News will be filmed live (for the East Coast/tape-delayed for the west) in a new studio each night (for a little while, at least).
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 6 Jan. 2026
Russia has continued to ramp up attacks on Ukraine, including on civilians, even as Putin met with Trump in Alaska and glad-handed other US officials.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
Carrier didn’t fit any stereotype of a glad-handing huckster with a bad loan to sell.
—Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 13 May 2025
Later, at a lavish lunch in Al-Yamamah Palace, Trump and the crown prince began an hourlong glad-handing session featuring Saudi royals, officials and military commanders.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025
The vice president of production (Ike Barinholtz) is more typically the kind of strategically glad-handing guy who makes it to the top.
—Nina Metz, Boston Herald, 27 Mar. 2025
Noun
But for all the talk of South Carolina’s penchant for dirty tricks, the state also values the glad hand.
—Sharon Lafraniere, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2024
Arguably the most notorious figure from the game’s most storied rivalry flew from his South Florida home to Boston for Tuesday night’s game and was expected to glad hand a few Yankees before, for many of them, the biggest game of their lives.
—Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 5 Oct. 2021
Abbott took in his first term wasn’t as effective as Perry’s more glad handing approach to the job, Jillson said.
—Allie Morris, Dallas News, 22 Mar. 2020
His medium, his material, is human frailty, the near end of original sin, and the tools of his trade are the glad hand, the scratched back, the padded envelope, the cut corner, and the jumped line.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 5 Oct. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Glad-hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glad-hand. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
