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

Following a morning of arguments and pitches from both defense lawyers and the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, Judge Curtis Faber has just handed down the sentence. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026

The Supreme Court ruling scrutinizes the decisions of Oakland County Circuit Judge Kwame Rowe, who oversaw the teen shooter's guilty plea and handed down the sentence after hearing emotional testimony from the victims' parents. — Tresa Baldas, Freep.com, 18 Sep. 2026

That charge was dropped on Wednesday, after a Johnson County judge handed down the maximum sentence in Kansas for second-degree murder. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2026

Her Cartier Tank was handed down to her nephew and Stas’s son, Anthony. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 17 Sep. 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)