handicap

1 of 2

noun

hand·​i·​cap ˈhan-di-ˌkap 

-dē-

1

a

: a race or contest in which an artificial advantage is given or disadvantage imposed on a contestant to equalize chances of winning

b

: an advantage given or disadvantage imposed usually in the form of points, strokes, weight to be carried, or distance from the target or goal

2

a

: a disadvantage that makes achievement unusually difficult

b

sometimes offensive : a physical disability

handicap

2 of 2

verb

handicapped; handicapping

transitive verb

1

a

: to give a handicap to

b

: to assess the relative winning chances of (contestants) or the likely winner of (a contest)

2

: to put at a disadvantage

Synonyms

Noun

• debit
• disadvantage
• disbenefit
• downside
• drawback
• incommodity
• liability
• minus
• negative
• strike

Verb

• clog
• cramp
• embarrass
• encumber
• fetter
• hamper
• handcuff
• hinder
• hobble
• hog-tie
• hold back
• hold up
• impede
• inhibit
• interfere (with)
• manacle
• obstruct
• shackle
• short-circuit
• stymie
• tie up
• trammel

Examples of handicap in a Sentence

Noun

His shyness was a handicap in his job.

She's been practicing a lot and her handicap has gone down from 18 to 12.

Verb

It's very hard to handicap the election at this point.

the baseball player's small size did not handicap him in the least

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In 1936, famed Olympic runner Jesse Owens raced a horse in a 100-yard dash and won thanks in part to a 40-yard handicap). —Emily Barone, Time, 19 July 2017

LNK classes have done everything from installing handicap doors at Redwood to creating a Healthy Newborn site for Transitions that serves mothers going through addiction recovery. —Brent Cooper, Cincinnati.com, 17 July 2017

Verb

His versatility as a wing defender and primary decision-maker allows Warriors guard Steph Curry to thrive more off-ball and gain rest on the bench without handicapping the team. —Kambui Bomani, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025

This is a tough game to handicap given the possibility that the Spurs might soon start tanking. —David Faris, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

obsolete English handicap, a game in which forfeit money was held in a cap, from hand in cap

First Known Use

Noun

1751, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for handicap

• overlap
• thunderclap
• wiretap
• app
• cap
• chap
• clap
• crap
• flap
• frap
• gap
• hap

Kids Definition

handicap

1 of 2 noun

hand·​i·​cap ˈhan-di-ˌkap 

1

: a race or contest in which competitors with different levels of ability are given an artificial advantage or disadvantage to equalize chances of winning

also : the advantage or disadvantage given

2

a

: a disadvantage that makes progress or success difficult

being lazy was a handicap

b

sometimes offensive : a physical disability

handicap

2 of 2 verb

handicapped; handicapping

1

: to give a handicap to

2

: to put at a disadvantage

Medical Definition

handicap

noun

hand·​i·​cap ˈhan-di-ˌkap 

1

: a disadvantage that makes achievement unusually difficult

2

sometimes offensive : a physical disability

Legal Definition

handicap

noun

han·​di·​cap

: a physical disability (as a bodily impairment or a devastating disease)