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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of handing
Democrats are aligning themselves with that mindset, handing Republicans the mantle of the AI-image party … and waiting for the backlash.
—
David Weigel, semafor.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Using license plate data, police later located Bowen at an apartment complex in Plantation, where he was seen handing a bag resembling a firearm case to another man.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
Tar Heels brass celebrated Purge Day by handing Malone a $50-million gift card.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026
Do not leave your device unattended in public places, and be cautious when handing it to repair shops or unknown technicians.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 Apr. 2026
The Gamecocks held the previously 38-0 Connecticut Huskies to 48 points Friday, handing coach Geno Auriemma’s squad its first loss of the season.
—Jack Vita, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026
That opened the door for Ramon Laureano to deliver the knockout blow in the form of an RBI single to left, ultimately handing the Red Sox a dispiriting 3-2 loss.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
The right-hander walked two before handing the game to the bullpen.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
Jets left winger Kyle Connor scored 33 seconds into overtime, handing the Hawks their fourth consecutive defeat.
—Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026
David Weigel, semafor.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Using license plate data, police later located Bowen at an apartment complex in Plantation, where he was seen handing a bag resembling a firearm case to another man.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
Tar Heels brass celebrated Purge Day by handing Malone a $50-million gift card.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026
Do not leave your device unattended in public places, and be cautious when handing it to repair shops or unknown technicians.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 Apr. 2026
The Gamecocks held the previously 38-0 Connecticut Huskies to 48 points Friday, handing coach Geno Auriemma’s squad its first loss of the season.
—Jack Vita, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026
That opened the door for Ramon Laureano to deliver the knockout blow in the form of an RBI single to left, ultimately handing the Red Sox a dispiriting 3-2 loss.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
The right-hander walked two before handing the game to the bullpen.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
Jets left winger Kyle Connor scored 33 seconds into overtime, handing the Hawks their fourth consecutive defeat.
—Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handing
Verb
-
An environmental unit, an aircraft rescue and firefighting truck, providing foam from the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport were called to the scene, the department said.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Wang, the activist, is hoping that the high-tech industries that are now the nation's priority will help Shanxi's transition by providing jobs.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Adebayo entered 68 rebounds from passing Udonis Haslem for the franchise all-time lead, now with two games remaining this regular season.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The horse then runs into traffic, where it is struck by a passing car.—
Nick Sullivan
April 9,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Then about an hour prior to tipoff, he was deemed out, leaving the backup point guard duties mostly to rookie Sion James.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Already, the department is overburdened, leaving the responsibility for handling many attacks by wolves and other predators to local law enforcement, said David Bess, a retired chief of CDFW’s enforcement division.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Rocus, also known as The Bone Wreck, ran aground while transporting a cargo of cow bones to be used as fertilizer on the island, thus giving Anegada's Cow Wreck Beach its unique name.—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Apr. 2026
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All in all, Springs totaled seven scoreless innings, one hit, two walks, six strikeouts and 93 pitches before giving way to a bullpen that also blanked the Bombers.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This week, on the mayor’s 97th day in office, a crowd gathered in the lobby of the busy Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan to watch as Mamdani announced the city would start transferring Rikers Island jail detainees with serious medical illnesses to a specialized unit at the hospital.—
Anthony Izaguirre,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
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Also on the way out is Justin Pippen, who spent one year at Cal after transferring in from Michigan.—
Michael Nowels,
Mercury News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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The partnership will also see Broadcom supplying custom AI chips, known as TPUs, and infrastructure to Google through 2031.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Kay is serving a 22-year sentence for supplying Skaggs with a counterfeit pain pill that contained a lethal dose of fentanyl.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Signaling progress in the peace talks, Axios reported that Washington and Tehran were engaged in discussions mediated by some Gulf states for a potential 45-day ceasefire that could end the conflict, although the odds for reaching a partial deal before the Tuesday deadline were slim.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Friday into the weekend are preliminarily expected to remain partly sunny, with highs reaching up into the 60s through Sunday, forecasts show.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Handing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handing. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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