hand over

verb

handed over; handing over; hands over

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 Lee, now 71, hoped to hand over the reins before turning 70, but he was forced to delay those plans due to COVID and the surprise withdrawal of deputy prime minister and heir apparent Heng Swee Keat from the running. Lionel Lim, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2023 The theater's April announcement on the season change also included news that Trice, whose title had been executive artistic director, would be handing over artistic duties to Martin and concentrate on administration, finance and marketing. Eric E. Harrison, Arkansas Online, 3 Nov. 2023 Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right member of Mr. Netanyahu’s government, refused to hand over the payments, which Israel collects on behalf of the authority, arguing that the money would go to support Hamas. Ronen Bergman, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2023 His mother put her hand over her chest in a farewell gesture, while his father put his arm around her. Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2023 That’s what makes the assortment of calling cards offered by Terrapin Stationers so delightfully devilish to have on hand — and hand over when the moment is right. Adam Tschorn, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023 And it has been handed over to local (INAUDIBLE) workers, coordinated with the local coordinator of the World Health Organization. CBS News, 22 Oct. 2023 With her every move monitored for 13 years, Spears recounts the restrictions put on her from 2008 to 2021, when the keys to her livelihood were handed over to her father, Jamie Spears. Vulture, 24 Oct. 2023 The case has since been handed over to the District Attorney’s Office. Paulina Dedaj, Fox News, 24 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hand over.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1652, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near hand over

Cite this Entry

“Hand over.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand%20over. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

hand over

verb
: to yield control of

More from Merriam-Webster on hand over

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