hand up

verb

handed up; handing up; hands up

transitive verb

of a jury
: to deliver (an indictment) to a judge or higher judicial authority

Examples of hand up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But the best has to go to the 6-foot-4, 347-pound Lawrence, who, while being double-teamed, got his hands up to deflect a Justin Herbert pass, batting it into the air, came off the double-team, snatched the ball out of the air and rumbled 37 yards before getting toppled. Mike Jones, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025 He can be seen holding his hands up above his head to mimic a shark fin. Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025 Later, half of them mime shooting the others, who are retreating with their hands up. Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2025 Warded off that Tee Higgins fade on 3rd-and-2 and chucked his hand up at the ref himself as if to mock another PI call. Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 29 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hand up

Word History

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hand up was in 1970

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hand up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand%20up. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.

Legal Definition

hand up

transitive verb
: to deliver (an indictment) to a judge or higher judicial authority
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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