ˈhan(d)-tə-ˈhand 
ˈhan-də-
: involving physical contact or close enough range for physical contact
hand-to-hand fighting
: at very close range
Examples of hand-to-hand in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Rabbi Moishe Kievman, Sun Sentinel, 9 May 2025
When the original owner of the bookstore needed to move locations down the road, the town residents showed up in droves, creating a human conveyor belt moving the books hand-to-hand down to the new location.
—American Booksellers Association, USA Today, 3 May 2025
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 13 May 2025
In the weight room, David drops into a plank pose and moves the length of an agility ladder, hand to hand, down and back, pausing only when Will cracks a joke.
—Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hand-to-hand
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Adjective
The first weapons devised by man were designed for hand-to-hand combat.
—Rabbi Moishe Kievman, Sun Sentinel, 9 May 2025
When the original owner of the bookstore needed to move locations down the road, the town residents showed up in droves, creating a human conveyor belt moving the books hand-to-hand down to the new location.
—American Booksellers Association, USA Today, 3 May 2025
Adverb
As Nick begins the ceremony, the handmaids who have blades sewn into their robes surreptitiously remove them and past them, hand to hand, down the pew.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 13 May 2025
In the weight room, David drops into a plank pose and moves the length of an agility ladder, hand to hand, down and back, pausing only when Will cracks a joke.
—Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hand-to-hand
Cite this Entry
“Hand-to-hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand-to-hand. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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