hand down

verb

handed down; handing down; hands down

transitive verb

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 federal sentence was handed down following powerful statements from shooting survivors and relatives of the victims. — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 23 July 2026

As the judgement was handed down, Justice Elizabeth Raper stated that MacInnes had failed to establish that the matter caused, or was likely to cause, serious harm. — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 22 July 2026

After statements from attorneys on both sides, as well as statements from Porter and his father, the judge handed down a sentence of 324 months in federal prison and recommended that Porter receive substance abuse treatment while incarcerated. — Mary Lyle, Arkansas Online, 22 July 2026

The outlet reported that Justice Raper remarked on the bath incident when handing down her decision. — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hand down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

hand down

verb

1

: to pass down from older to younger (as from parent to child)

2

: to form and express a judicial decision

Legal Definition

hand down

transitive verb

1

: to deliver (the decision or opinion of an appellate court) to the proper office of an inferior court

2

: to make an official formulation of and announce (the decision of a court)