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

The District Court of Harris County in Houston handed down the ruling in May 2026, awarding Jacobs a total of $50,105,000, including $40,105,000 in compensatory damages and an additional $10 million in exemplary damages. — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 16 Sep. 2026

The official also highlighted pardons handed down by Biden, including for his son Hunter and other family members. — Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026

This codified a Texas Supreme Court ruling that had already been handed down just months before Walker became pregnant. — Jericka Duncan, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Cori Weston handed down the term to Zykil Adamson, 26, more than two years after the dead-of-night shooting on March, 8, 2024, inside the Music Building on Eighth Ave. — Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 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)