hand over

verb

handed over; handing over; hands over
Synonyms of hand overnext

transitive verb

: to yield control of
handover noun

Examples of hand over in a Sentence

the police officer ordered the suspect to hand over his weapons in response to a desperate plea, we handed over all our extra blankets and pillows to the homeless shelter
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.
And, aside from the economic angle or financial angle, Pakistan also quietly handed over an ISIS leader who was involved in an attack when the Americans were leaving Afghanistan and was detained by the Pakistani military last Spring. Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026 Alongside college basketball icon Bill Raftery, Hill sat motionless as the ball rattled in, hand over his mouth, at a complete loss for words. Rowan Fisher-Shotton, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026 Election officials, including some Republicans, have said handing over the information would violate state and federal privacy laws. CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026 Park officials have accused OVG of failing to hand over key financial information and telling event organizers their agreements with the city were ending. Aria Jones, Dallas Morning News, 27 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hand over

Word History

First Known Use

1652, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hand over was in 1652

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hand over.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand%20over. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.

Kids Definition

hand over

verb
: to yield control of
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster