Definition of handshake
: a clasping usually of right hands by two people (as in greeting or farewell)
From the M-W Editors
Examples of handshake in a Sentence
She greeted him with a handshake.
He has a firm handshake.
Recent Examples of handshake from the Web
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But last week the pair shared a very different handshake — one that lasted about six hours and involved a lot of friendly patting.
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No VA benefits, just a handshake and a tattoo of an alligator on his bicep.
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Before parting ways in Paris, President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron engaged in a 25-second handshake.
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The G20 summit, which began Friday in Hamburg, Germany, witnessed a long-overdue handshake between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
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Their first physical interaction, a simple handshake, enacted shortly before the meeting and discreetly captured by a German government camera, sent body-language experts into overdrive.
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Kornhauser-Duda's enthusiastic welcome for Melania Trump meant that President Trump was left handshake-less and looking on.
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His office wall prominently features a large, framed photograph of his handshake with President Xi Jinping when both visited Seattle in 2015.
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Gov. Nancy Wyman led a receiving line of Air National Guard members who gave hugs and handshakes to their returning friends and colleagues disembarking from the C-130H aircraft.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'handshake.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of handshake
1802
HANDSHAKE Defined for English Language Learners
handshake
playDefinition of handshake for English Language Learners
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: the act of grasping someone's right hand with your right hand and moving it up and down : the act of shaking hands; also : the manner in which a person shakes hands
HANDSHAKE Defined for Kids
handshake
playDefinition of handshake for Students
: a clasping of hands by two people (as in greeting)
Learn More about handshake
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See words that rhyme with handshake Spanish Central: Translation of handshake Nglish: Translation of handshake for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of handshake for Arabic speakers
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