hand back
phrasal verb
handed back; handing back; hands back
: to return (something) by handing it to someone
He handed the letter back (to her) without reading it.
The clerk handed back my credit card.
Examples of hand back in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
After several attempts, Hoban managed to put André Alexis’ novel into Landreth’s hands back in 2018.
—
Kevin Giraud, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
Of the bodies handed back by Israel, about 100 have been identified by families, al-Wahidi said.
—Arkansas Online, 30 Jan. 2026
Of the bodies handed back by Israel, about 100 have been identified by families, al-Wahidi said.
—Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
Perform a push-up, then walk your hands back toward your feet and stand up.
—Rikkilynn Shields Hannigan, Health, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hand back
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.
Kevin Giraud, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
Of the bodies handed back by Israel, about 100 have been identified by families, al-Wahidi said.
—Arkansas Online, 30 Jan. 2026
Of the bodies handed back by Israel, about 100 have been identified by families, al-Wahidi said.
—Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
Perform a push-up, then walk your hands back toward your feet and stand up.
—Rikkilynn Shields Hannigan, Health, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hand back
Cite this Entry
“Hand back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand%20back. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
