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

Set the scene Formerly the estate of Western movie star Gene Autry, the Parker is hands down one of the area’s most unique places to stay. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Feb. 2026

Snag a seat on the terrace, hands down the best place to take it all in. —Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 21 Feb. 2026

That dubious distinction goes to President Woodrow Wilson, hands down. —Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 20 Feb. 2026

But on her final jump, a triple loop, Glenn put her hand down, losing some points in an otherwise stellar performance. —Greg Rosenstein, NBC news, 20 Feb. 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)