ˈhan(d)-tə-ˈhand 
ˈhan-də-
: involving physical contact or close enough range for physical contact
hand-to-hand fighting
: at very close range
Examples of hand-to-hand in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Steve Helling, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
There are plenty of guns, too, but hand-to-hand combat is at the heart of the series and The Beast.
—Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2025
Shelby Stewart, Essence, 4 Aug. 2025
As Nick begins the ceremony, the handmaids who have blades sewn into their robes surreptitiously remove them and past them, hand to hand, down the pew.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hand-to-hand
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Adjective
The challenges were often physical — a high point was watching brothers Aras Baskauskas and Vytas Baskauskas square off in hand-to-hand combat.
—Steve Helling, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
There are plenty of guns, too, but hand-to-hand combat is at the heart of the series and The Beast.
—Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2025
Adverb
It is embedded in the pages of a magazine passed hand to hand, mother to daughter, generation to generation.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 4 Aug. 2025
As Nick begins the ceremony, the handmaids who have blades sewn into their robes surreptitiously remove them and past them, hand to hand, down the pew.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hand-to-hand
Cite this Entry
“Hand-to-hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand-to-hand. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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