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
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.
Rogers was handed down a death sentence for the 1995 murder of 34-year-old Tina Marie Cribbs, a mother-of-two who was found dead in a Tampa motel room, per the outlets. Nicole Acosta, People.com, 16 May 2025 What To Know South Carolina's highest court on Wednesday handed down its ruling in the case Planned Parenthood v. South Carolina, which dealt with the question of when a fetal heartbeat begins. Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025 Pete Rose, one of baseball’s greatest baseball players who was banned from the sport for life in 1989, will finally be eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame after a ruling handed down Tuesday by the commissioner of Major League Baseball. Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 13 May 2025 Michael Boatwright, Dedrick Williams and Trayvon Newsome were each handed down two life sentences in April for gunning down XXXTentacion during a 2018 heist in Broward County. Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 12 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for hand down

Word History

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hand down was in 1651

Cite this Entry

“Hand down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand%20down. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

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)

More from Merriam-Webster on hand down

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