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
In an interview with Beauty Inc published last September, the reality star spoke about eventually handing the reins to her daughter Stormi Webster, now 8, one day.
—
Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
Viewers flooded the clip with reactions, and many were especially moved by the woman’s decision to cool the french fry down before handing it over to the dog.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 27 Apr. 2026
The scrums and after-whistle activity that defined the first period of Game 2 and much of Game 1 simply were not there in Game 3, with the Lightning seemingly content to play between the whistles in an effort to avoid handing the Canadiens power plays in bunches.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Cubs outfielder Rick Monday raced over between at-bats and snatched the flag from the protesters, handing it over to the Dodgers' dugout.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Harris drove a two-run double against the wall in left-center off Andrew Painter to lead the Braves to a 5-3 victory, handing the Phillies their 10th straight loss.
—ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
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
James Quincey at Coca-Cola essentially said the same thing in handing the reins to COO Henrique Braun.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
Viewers flooded the clip with reactions, and many were especially moved by the woman’s decision to cool the french fry down before handing it over to the dog.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 27 Apr. 2026
The scrums and after-whistle activity that defined the first period of Game 2 and much of Game 1 simply were not there in Game 3, with the Lightning seemingly content to play between the whistles in an effort to avoid handing the Canadiens power plays in bunches.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Cubs outfielder Rick Monday raced over between at-bats and snatched the flag from the protesters, handing it over to the Dodgers' dugout.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Harris drove a two-run double against the wall in left-center off Andrew Painter to lead the Braves to a 5-3 victory, handing the Phillies their 10th straight loss.
—ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
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
James Quincey at Coca-Cola essentially said the same thing in handing the reins to COO Henrique Braun.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handing
Verb
-
These days, some innovative school districts and nonprofit groups are trying to help students labeled EBD by tapping Medicaid money for therapy and family support, providing what are called wraparound services to get students with EBD back into mainstream classes.—
Laurie Stern,
NPR,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The reshaping of the hospital’s campus seeks to strike a balance among lifting the hospital’s national profile, providing more efficiently for the health care needs of the local community and recognizing the reality of an aging population that needs increasingly sophisticated care.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But after the catastrophe that precedes it, the moment feels like passing around a collection plate at a funeral.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Massie objected to passing the extension by unanimous consent, forcing the legislation to a floor vote instead.—
Hailey Bullis,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
On Saturday, April 25, Banderas, 65, and Griffith, 68, were spotted leaving Beverly Hills sushi restaurant Matsuhisa arm-in-arm after enjoying dinner together.—
Clare Fisher,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The complementary conditioner dials up the moisture with shea butter, murumuru butter, and amino acids to smooth and strengthen—leaving hair soft, bouncy, and ready for styling.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Why then hesitate at giving people information about themselves that will actually change their life for the better?—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Zamora supports giving middle and high school communities the option to have an officer on campus at least part-time.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Dezeurn played football for Palisades in the fall after transferring from Bishop Alemany last season.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
Federal prosecutors indicted Michel in 2019, accusing him of illegally transferring funds into former President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
1 May 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
-
The plant is expected to start supplying fertilizers to Latin American markets by early 2029, offering some respite to a region that is critical to global crop exports yet dependent on fertilizer imports.—
Natasha Bracken,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The station, northeast of Ramallah, is a vital water hub, supplying around 100,000 Palestinians across more than 20 communities.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Sunday, May 3 Manchester United vs Liverpool The Premier League season is reaching its conclusion, and away from the title race between Arsenal and Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool will contest the pick of the weekend’s games.—
The Athletic Live Team,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) has detected ultra-powerful gamma rays—reaching energies of about one quadrillion electron volts (PeV)—coming from a seemingly ordinary stellar remnant.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Handing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handing. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
