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
Relevance
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
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 handing
Federal prosecutors said someone would collect the drugs from the drone before handing them over to the buyers.
—
Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
But there is also a suspicion among defense chiefs, amplified by Robertson, that the Treasury dislikes handing money to the Ministry of Defense (MoD) due to the latter's various procurement mishaps.
—Ian King, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
Leody Taveras hit a grand slam during a five-run 12th inning, and the Baltimore Orioles held on for a wild 7-5 victory over the Royals on Monday night, handing Kansas City its eighth straight loss.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
Apple on Monday announced its leadership transition plan, with longtime CEO Tim Cook soon handing the reins to John Ternus.
—Austin Carr, Bloomberg, 21 Apr. 2026
James Quincey at Coca-Cola essentially said the same thing in handing the reins to COO Henrique Braun.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
There have been struggles in her first full season at Chelsea but Wiegman trusts her enormously, handing her the captain’s armband in Williamson’s absence for her 100th cap in the 1-0 win over Spain.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Equity cannot mean handing someone a license and wishing them luck in a billion-dollar industry.
—Sonya M. Harper, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
This is when that counter service spot flips the screen over to me and my options are 20, 25 or 30 percent gratuity for handing me a muffin.
—Allyson Reedy, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2026
Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
But there is also a suspicion among defense chiefs, amplified by Robertson, that the Treasury dislikes handing money to the Ministry of Defense (MoD) due to the latter's various procurement mishaps.
—Ian King, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
Leody Taveras hit a grand slam during a five-run 12th inning, and the Baltimore Orioles held on for a wild 7-5 victory over the Royals on Monday night, handing Kansas City its eighth straight loss.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
Apple on Monday announced its leadership transition plan, with longtime CEO Tim Cook soon handing the reins to John Ternus.
—Austin Carr, Bloomberg, 21 Apr. 2026
James Quincey at Coca-Cola essentially said the same thing in handing the reins to COO Henrique Braun.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
There have been struggles in her first full season at Chelsea but Wiegman trusts her enormously, handing her the captain’s armband in Williamson’s absence for her 100th cap in the 1-0 win over Spain.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Equity cannot mean handing someone a license and wishing them luck in a billion-dollar industry.
—Sonya M. Harper, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
This is when that counter service spot flips the screen over to me and my options are 20, 25 or 30 percent gratuity for handing me a muffin.
—Allyson Reedy, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handing
Verb
-
While companies are recognizing the importance of unpaid care, providing some benefits, the weight of unpaid care will increase unless the labor supply is replenished, Nestler said.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The goal was to stimulate economic development and job creation in distressed areas around the country by providing tax incentives to investors who would back the projects.—
David Lyons,
Sun Sentinel,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In other words, the Chargers won’t be shy about using Mesidor equally in running or passing situations.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
-
This division of labor allows the colony to remain partially buried in the seafloor while still efficiently feeding from passing water currents.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Cubs stranded a season-high 17 runners on base Tuesday, their first win when leaving at least 17 on base since June 2, 2018, and their first at Wrigley Field since July 3, 2010 (both also had 17 LOB).—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
-
His original boss, national security adviser Mike Waltz, was booted to the United Nations after the Signalgate scandal, leaving the role to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was already juggling portfolios and is busier now with Iran.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen had a dreadful Game 2 before giving way to Lyon in the third period.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
-
How absurd, indeed, to imagine wild birds giving time like the mechanical songsters on an ornamental clock.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Tibbetts went to high school at Jefferson before transferring to a school in Sioux Falls as a junior.—
Annie Costabile,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Before transferring to Texas A&M, Onyedim was a teammate of Denver’s Eyioma Uwazurike at Iowa State.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The company, which also makes the AI model Claude, has claimed that Mythos is currently too advanced for public release, and is instead entrusting the model to cybersecurity experts for the time being.—
Justin Klawans,
TheWeek,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Jahangir abandoned writing in the 17th regnal year as his health declined, entrusting continuation to his court historian Muʿtamad Khan, who extended the narrative to Jahangir’s 19th regnal year.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
By the fourth quarter, this game was over, leaving it to Kennard to send the crowd howling into the night by supplying three fourth-quarter treys on three attempts and making a Game 1 MVP out of Rob Pelinka.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
-
But what sets DeviantArt apart from other platforms is its Subscription feature, supplying a cornerstone of a stable creative career by unlocking a recurring, steady revenue stream.—
The Editors of ARTnews,
ARTnews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But annual budget deficits are now at $2 trillion, rapidly piling on to the $39 trillion national debt total with interest costs alone reaching $1 trillion a year.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Periods of rain will continue throughout the early and mid afternoon with high temperatures only reaching the mid-50s, below average for this time of year.—
Andrew Kozak,
CBS News,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Handing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handing. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
