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

The dispute eventually went all the way to the Supreme Court, which handed down a 6-3 decision in May. — ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026

As of Sunday, Morin was one month into the suspension handed down by the state Supreme Court that disdained the opinion of professional discipline case referee, Judge Paul Anthony Damico. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026

Losing to a winless team starting a rookie undrafted quarterback on your home field has its consequences, but will jobs be part of the discipline handed down? — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2026

Those decisions have been handed down after months of consideration, including oral arguments. — Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 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)