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

Those charges echo a 2020 indictment handed down by US federal court that named Maduro and 14 other officials in claims that included drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. —Eve Batey, Vanity Fair, 3 Jan. 2026

The collection was distinguished by its quality, state of preservation and provenance, with some pieces directly handed down from Queen Marie Antoinette. Decorator Jacques Grange, a close friend, mourned the loss of a way of life. —Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 31 Dec. 2025

Christmas Ornaments Many of us have Christmas ornaments that were handed down or a collection of ornaments made by our children. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2025

Mamdani argues that Idi Amin and the current president Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, inherited and governed within an intractable colonial legacy handed down from the British. —Leila Fadel, NPR, 16 Dec. 2025

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)