1
as in side
a certain way in which something appears or may be regarded
on the one hand, you would have more storage space in a larger house, but on the other, you would have more rooms to heat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in flank
a place, space, or direction away from or beyond a central point or line
tall buildings rose on either hand nothing but wide open space on either hand
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
4
as in employe
one who works for another for wages or a salary
the restaurant always hires several more hands for the busy summer season
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in handwriting
the form or style of a particular person's writing
writes with a flowing, old-fashioned hand
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in control
usually hands plural
the ability to direct the course of something
the final decision is in your hands
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in possession
hands plural
the fact or state of having (something) at one's disposal
I'd like to get my hands on that vintage Cadillac convertible
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in assistance
an act or instance of helping
the downstairs tenant gave us a hand getting the heavy dresser up the stairs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
9
as in expert
a person with a high level of knowledge or skill in a field
once she got her own place, the young woman showed that she was quite a hand at interior decoration
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
10
as in signature
a person's name written in their own handwriting often given to indicate awareness or consent
the subpoena required a lawyer's hand
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to provide
to put (something) into the possession of someone for use or consumption
was happy to hand her grandmother's cookie recipes to the parish ladies to put in their cookbook
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in to leave
to put (something) into the possession or safekeeping of another
handed me her bundles while she fished for her house keys
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of hand
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2025
Banners and signs must be hand-held and may not obstruct the view of other guests or PHX Arena advertising signage or be temporarily or permanently affixed to the building structure.
—Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
Hearing this, John stood up, retrieved the guitar from its stand at the end of the room, brought it back, and handed it to me.
—Tom Piazza
september 12, Literary Hub, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hand
Noun
Debbie marks the occasion by taking her first-ever stage dive — with an MTV crew on hand filming every second.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2025
Banners and signs must be hand-held and may not obstruct the view of other guests or PHX Arena advertising signage or be temporarily or permanently affixed to the building structure.
—Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Verb
The first two hitters reached in the eighth inning, too, but Jimmy Herget got Wagner to bounce into a double play and handed Fernando Tatis Jr.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
Hearing this, John stood up, retrieved the guitar from its stand at the end of the room, brought it back, and handed it to me.
—Tom Piazza
september 12, Literary Hub, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand
Noun
-
Leaders have since reached an agreement to de-escalate tensions, temporarily lowering the duties to 30% on the United States’ side and 10% on China’s part.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
15 Sep. 2025
-
The Other Side of the Contest Award shows focus on who wins, but every contest has another side.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Simply playing games in another country may not dramatically move the needle for the league, but the NFL is very willing to play the long game here.—
Contessa Brewer,Alex Sherman,
CNBC,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Plus, this one doesn’t have a single annoying needle drop.—
Sam Bodrojan,
IndieWire,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The subsequent pages include a childlike drawing of a wedding and redacted photos of young children in bed, playing piano, and evidently posing for the camera, with captions in what appears to be Maxwell’s handwriting.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Leavitt said that the White House would support having a professional handwriting expert review the signature.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Somehow, the Hollywood star was still welcomed into the cockpit by the starstruck flight crew and allowed to briefly take control of the airliner.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Shut out of control of the White House and both chambers of Congress, Democrats are seeking to rebuild their brand with the American electorate following a poor performance during the 2024 presidential election.—
Mabinty Quarshie,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Games are often decided by a final possession, series of penalties, or matchup factor.—
Mark LaSota,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Paige has been charged with larceny over $1,200, malicious destruction of property over $1,200, breaking into a depository and possession of a burglarious instrument.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Polish and Dutch jets intercepted the drones, with assistance from Italian, German and NATO’s multinational forces, officials said.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
-
In EVs, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and real-time vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication depend on synchronized timekeeping for everything from sensor fusion to powertrain management.—
Markus Lutz,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Multiple rights experts and scholars say Israel's military assault on Gaza amounts to genocide.—
Jarrett Renshaw,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Bond yields are shaped in part by expectations of the benchmark interest rate set by the Fed, some experts said.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
So why not e-bikes with some signature Portland flavor stirred in?—
William Roberson,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
The brand’s signature protein-repairing peptide simultaneously takes a journey into the individual hair shaft to repair any damage, helping tackle a lack of volume on a long-term basis.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share