glad-hand

1 of 2

verb

ˈglad-ˌhand 

glad-handed; glad-handing; glad-hands

transitive verb

: to extend a glad hand to

candidates glad-handing everyone they meet

intransitive verb

: to extend a glad hand

glad-handing as if he were running for mayor

glad-hander

ˈglad-ˌhan-dər 

noun

glad hand

2 of 2

noun

: a warm welcome or greeting often prompted by ulterior reasons

Examples of glad-hand in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Even—perhaps especially—for a Beltway outsider, ascending the American political ladder requires a tremendous amount of glad-handing and personal magnetism, if not charm. — Jonathan A. Czin, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026

There’s the slick, glad-handing publisher of Hamptons magazine, and the feisty Citarella market scion who would love to have her picture featured in its pages. — Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2026

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

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1903, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun

circa 1895, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for glad-hand

• armband
• backhand
• bandstand
• baseband
• broadband
• command
• cropland
• demand
• disband
• dreamland
• expand
• farmhand