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

Paul, in other words, hands down both the ethic of love and the habit of boundary-drawing, and leaves it to us to harmonize them. —Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026

Now, Judge West handed down her sentence. —Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026

The sentence handed down to John Carey, 66, came after he was convicted on March 3 of first-degree murder in the death of Salem State University student Claire Gravel. —Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026

Subramanian handed down Diddy’s sentence on October 3, 2025. —Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 9 Apr. 2026

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)