1
as in providing
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in passing
to shift possession of (something) from one person to another
the clerk handed her the receipt
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in leaving
to put (something) into the possession or safekeeping of another
handed me her bundles while she fished for her house keys
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of handing
In the fourth quarter and the game well in hand, Ndukwe blocked James Ferguson-Reynolds’ punt, handing IU the ball on the seven.
—
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 10 Jan. 2026
Sanders recorded 16 tackles and one forced fumble in 13 games, with Pro Football Focus handing him the third-best grade of all Texas State defenders.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 10 Jan. 2026
Todd cited the current interest rate environment and downtown property values as reasons for handing the property over to the lender.
—Nick Wooten, Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026
Dunkin', a partner of the Eagles, visited the Woolwich Township Police Department on Friday, delivering free coffee and donuts for the department and handing the officers the tickets.
—Joe Brandt, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Calabasas pulled off a huge win in high school basketball on Tuesday night, handing Thousand Oaks its first defeat after 16 victories in a Marmonte League opener.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
In his view, the administration is effectively expropriating the decision-making power of owners and handing it to the state.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Instead, Kraft stuck with it, handing Mayo the reins of his franchise.
—Chad Graff, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
The Case for Hiring a Pro Hiring a pet transporter means handing the leash—temporarily—to someone trained for the job.
—Maria Williams, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 10 Jan. 2026
Sanders recorded 16 tackles and one forced fumble in 13 games, with Pro Football Focus handing him the third-best grade of all Texas State defenders.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 10 Jan. 2026
Todd cited the current interest rate environment and downtown property values as reasons for handing the property over to the lender.
—Nick Wooten, Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026
Dunkin', a partner of the Eagles, visited the Woolwich Township Police Department on Friday, delivering free coffee and donuts for the department and handing the officers the tickets.
—Joe Brandt, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Calabasas pulled off a huge win in high school basketball on Tuesday night, handing Thousand Oaks its first defeat after 16 victories in a Marmonte League opener.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
In his view, the administration is effectively expropriating the decision-making power of owners and handing it to the state.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Instead, Kraft stuck with it, handing Mayo the reins of his franchise.
—Chad Graff, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
The Case for Hiring a Pro Hiring a pet transporter means handing the leash—temporarily—to someone trained for the job.
—Maria Williams, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handing
Verb
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Equipment needs and operational enhancements are being actively addressed through the current city budget process, reflecting our ongoing commitment to providing excellent service to our community.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
EngineAI confirmed that its production models are powered by NVIDIA Jetson Thor, providing up to 2000 TOPS of AI compute, along with a 360-degree LiDAR perception system.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Meanwhile, second-year quarterback Drake Maye finds himself among the leading early MVP candidates while ranking fifth in the league in passing yards (2,285) and tied for third in touchdown passes (17) while throwing only four interceptions.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
The Bearcats had 222 yards passing and 273 yards rushing.—
The Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Limited backup power could knock out internet access, leaving millions to wait for instant answers.—
Jamie Yuccas,
CBS News,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Vatti said Diamantis made an $80,000 payment on the day after signing the retainer and made an additional six payments totalling $105,000 between August 2024 and February 2025, leaving the $65,000 balance.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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If Carolina is thinking about the big picture, giving Coker the extra year, perhaps valued as a first- or second-round tender, is just getting ahead of a formality.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Luckily, Madewell is giving us something to celebrate this season with a surprise sale on cold-weather clothing essentials with prices starting as low as $20.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The former four-star recruit originally picked Ole Miss before transferring to South Carolina before the 2023 season.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
6 Jan. 2026
-
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Smothers is a former four-star recruit who started his career at Oklahoma before transferring to NC State before the 2024 season.—
Sam Khan Jr,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Before dying of cancer in 2013, Chávez handpicked Maduro as his successor, entrusting him with a country already buckling under the weight of dependence on oil, and the realization that prosperity was coming to an end.—
Jorge Valencia,
NPR,
5 Jan. 2026
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His solo debut, Barbarian, made more than $45 million on a budget of less than $5 million, and now Warners was entrusting the actor turned director with a movie costing eight times that.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The launches follow Lumus supplying the waveguide used in Meta Ray-Ban Display AR glasses in 2025, a deal that demonstrated both optical performance and mass manufacturability of geometric waveguides.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The United Arab Emirates has been accused by human rights groups of directly supplying the RSF with weaponry, an allegation the country strongly denied, while Saudi Arabia and Egypt have allied with the SAF.—
ByGuy Davies,
ABC News,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The protests have grown drastically in scope over the past week, reaching a point where some analysts believe the regime may have reached a tipping point.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
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That commitment to authenticity became especially clear after his video about being cut from the G-League went viral, reaching over 270,000 views.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Handing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handing. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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