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

Again, no official decree has been handed down from Zurich, but if the stateside TV ratings are anything to go by, a few minutes of commercial intrusiveness per match certainly didn’t seem to cost Fox much in the way of viewership. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 July 2026

The verdict, handed down last Friday, covers claims brought by the family of Kealon Gilmore, who was killed, and wounded survivors including Jazmin Anderson, who was shot in the head, according to the statement. — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026

Popov, 20, showed no response as Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Dena Douglas handed down his sentence Thursday. — John Annese, New York Daily News, 16 July 2026

Maddy Inez describes the sketchbook regimen handed down from her grandmother. — Tara Anne Dalbow, Los Angeles Times, 15 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)