hand down
verb
handed down; handing down; hands down
1
: to transmit in succession (as from father to son)
2
: to make official formulation of and express (the opinion of a court)
Examples of hand down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The prosecution asked for a 14-year, three-month sentence, which West handed down.
—
Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 18 Oct. 2025
The punishment was handed down for a violation of the league’s conduct policy stemming from his role in a car crash in Dallas last year.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 17 Oct. 2025
Jones’s bid at the Supreme Court was his last chance to stop the judgment from being handed down.
—Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2025
Though Glazer does view a fine as the most likely penalty to be handed down.
—Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hand down
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.
Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 18 Oct. 2025
The punishment was handed down for a violation of the league’s conduct policy stemming from his role in a car crash in Dallas last year.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 17 Oct. 2025
Jones’s bid at the Supreme Court was his last chance to stop the judgment from being handed down.
—Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2025
Though Glazer does view a fine as the most likely penalty to be handed down.
—Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hand down
Cite this Entry
“Hand down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand%20down. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share