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

If all this jockeying is the two parties vying to be more family-friendly, the crown goes to the Democrats, hands down. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2024

Amid a number of civil cases in California and New Mexico filed against Baldwin and Rust producers, a new grand jury was empaneled in New Mexico in late 2023, and a new indictment was handed down against Baldwin on January 19, 2024. —Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 2 Aug. 2024

While serving that sentence, he was handed down new charges of attacking prison guards and an investigator in 2024, the Moscow Times reported. —Cate Brown, Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2024

With America’s aging prison population, Black men are more likely to be handed down long sentences in their early 20s and remain incarcerated into their 50s, according to the Urban Institute. —Ronda Racha Penrice, NBC News, 29 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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)