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

That can't happen if the Supreme Court hands down a decision invalidating post-election ballot-receipt deadlines after the state's June 2 primaries. —Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026

The verdict was handed down Friday in a civil trial in California against Musk brought on behalf of Twitter shareholders, in a lawsuit alleging that Musk was attempting to back out of his agreement to buy Twitter or negotiate a lower price. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 21 Mar. 2026

As part of a plea agreement, Jacob Ackerman pleaded guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter and one count of armed criminal action; a judge handed down the sentence on Monday. —Nathan Pilling march 17, Kansas City Star, 18 Mar. 2026

Order the prosciutto cotto eggs Benedict (the English muffin recipe handed down from Petty’s mom) and the cast-iron corn pancake served with a generous portion of butter and berry preserves. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Mar. 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)