hand down
verb
handed down; handing down; hands down
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
This is, hands down, the best ice cream maker available for the home.
—
Meredith Woerner, Variety, 24 Nov. 2023
Jones' sentence is the longest handed down so far, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California said in a statement.
—Phil Helsel, NBC News, 17 Nov. 2023
In an Anchorage courtroom roughly two years after Mirai had obliterated Brian Krebs’ website, a judge handed down that sentence—community service, no prison time—to the three 21- and 22-year-olds, along with debts of between $115,000 and $127,000 each in restitution.
—Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 14 Nov. 2023
Both were given 16 months of probation following their jail time when their sentence were handed down in November 2022.
—Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 13 Nov. 2023
That could result in $6 billion in damages if a judge hands down a $1,000-per bottle fine under Mississippi law.
—Jef Feeley, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2023
The Pennsylvania Democrat, the first senator to call for Menendez’s resignation after he and his wife were indicted on federal bribery charges, made the call in a statement after the superseding indictment was handed down on Thursday morning.
—Emily Jacobs, Washington Examiner, 12 Oct. 2023
Another road bump for Alexa The judgment handed down this week contrasts a 2021 ruling in a Delaware federal court finding that Alexa does not infringe upon patents by IPA Technologies Inc., as Reuters reported.
—Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 10 Nov. 2023
The sentencing handed down by a federal judge comes more than two years after the April 2021 killing of 27-year-old Keishla Rodríguez Ortiz and her unborn baby, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Puerto Rico said in a news release.
—Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 6 Nov. 2023
See More
Meredith Woerner, Variety, 24 Nov. 2023
Jones' sentence is the longest handed down so far, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California said in a statement.
—Phil Helsel, NBC News, 17 Nov. 2023
In an Anchorage courtroom roughly two years after Mirai had obliterated Brian Krebs’ website, a judge handed down that sentence—community service, no prison time—to the three 21- and 22-year-olds, along with debts of between $115,000 and $127,000 each in restitution.
—Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 14 Nov. 2023
Both were given 16 months of probation following their jail time when their sentence were handed down in November 2022.
—Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 13 Nov. 2023
That could result in $6 billion in damages if a judge hands down a $1,000-per bottle fine under Mississippi law.
—Jef Feeley, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2023
The Pennsylvania Democrat, the first senator to call for Menendez’s resignation after he and his wife were indicted on federal bribery charges, made the call in a statement after the superseding indictment was handed down on Thursday morning.
—Emily Jacobs, Washington Examiner, 12 Oct. 2023
Another road bump for Alexa The judgment handed down this week contrasts a 2021 ruling in a Delaware federal court finding that Alexa does not infringe upon patents by IPA Technologies Inc., as Reuters reported.
—Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 10 Nov. 2023
The sentencing handed down by a federal judge comes more than two years after the April 2021 killing of 27-year-old Keishla Rodríguez Ortiz and her unborn baby, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Puerto Rico said in a news release.
—Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 6 Nov. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hand down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near hand down
Cite this Entry
“Hand down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand%20down. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
hand down
verb1
: 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 verb1
: 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)
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hand down
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