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 eccentric exotic animal broker had been hoping for a significantly lighter sentence, just one year instead of the four-and-half-year sentence Missouri District Judge Stephen R. Clark handed down Thursday. —Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025

The first 100 years of the sentence were handed down for the murder, and the other 10 for the use of a deadly weapon during the crime. —Peter D'abrosca , Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2025

Hinterland Winery Rosé Sparkling from Ontario, hands down. —Devin Parr, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025

In 2019, a South African High Court handed down lengthy prison sentences to two White farmers for throwing a 16-year-old teenager out of a moving truck in Coligny, in the North West Province, for allegedly stealing sunflowers. —Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2025

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)