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

Responding in kind, Iran handed down its own terrorist designation to all EU militaries. —David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 1 Feb. 2026

The announcement comes as the Supreme Court could hand down its decision at any time on the legality of the administration's use of emergency powers to impose tariffs. —Meghan Mistry, ABC News, 29 Jan. 2026

Butte Superior Court Judge Michael Deems handed down the sentence to Spencer Grant Anderson, 28, after a jury late last year convicted him of forestland arson, burning residential structures and related sentencing enhancements, according to the Butte County District Attorney’s Office. —Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Some experts believe the verdict has already been handed down. —Joel Mathis, TheWeek, 28 Jan. 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)