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
Rubio writes a note before handing it to Trump during a roundtable meeting at the White House yesterday.
—
Yamiche Alcindor, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2025
Senators may have a harder time getting aligned with House Republicans, who passed their bill without the China proposal, in hopes of handing President Donald Trump a negotiating tool.
—Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 10 Oct. 2025
But Altieri was looking through him, down at the ground, where Maricarmen was pressing her hand to the side of Rey’s bleeding face, and Carmelo was pulling off his T-shirt, handing it over to her.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Mamdani asked, flipping the contents of plastic takeout containers onto plates and handing one to me.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
Then Notre Dame came to town and held the Razorbacks to 13 points while handing them their worst home loss since 2020.
—Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2025
The defining goal of every move this organization makes revolves around handing the ball over to Burrow, Chase and Higgins in January.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Barnes & Noble said in the release that the company is enjoying a period of tremendous growth since handing control of each bookstore to its local booksellers.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 8 Oct. 2025
As well as handing the Republicans ammunition, the comments exacerbate concerns over an uptick in political violence amid the fallout from the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Yamiche Alcindor, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2025
Senators may have a harder time getting aligned with House Republicans, who passed their bill without the China proposal, in hopes of handing President Donald Trump a negotiating tool.
—Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 10 Oct. 2025
But Altieri was looking through him, down at the ground, where Maricarmen was pressing her hand to the side of Rey’s bleeding face, and Carmelo was pulling off his T-shirt, handing it over to her.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Mamdani asked, flipping the contents of plastic takeout containers onto plates and handing one to me.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
Then Notre Dame came to town and held the Razorbacks to 13 points while handing them their worst home loss since 2020.
—Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2025
The defining goal of every move this organization makes revolves around handing the ball over to Burrow, Chase and Higgins in January.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Barnes & Noble said in the release that the company is enjoying a period of tremendous growth since handing control of each bookstore to its local booksellers.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 8 Oct. 2025
As well as handing the Republicans ammunition, the comments exacerbate concerns over an uptick in political violence amid the fallout from the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handing
Verb
-
Thank you to the Browns-the Haslams, Andrew Berry, Chris Cooper, my coaches and the team docs/medical staff for providing me with great care.—
Noah Camras,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Oct. 2025
-
For the developers at Game Freak, their greatest achievement would be not providing fans with a comically large stick to beat the latest entry with.—
Ryan Gaur,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
If right tackle Micah Pettus (leg) remains limited, Norvell and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn could opt for additional blockers and quicker passing concepts to keep Castellanos upright.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Suddenly an entire generation wanted to lace up ice skates, fueling a new wave of talent that began passing through the Hornets’ program.—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The National Immigration Law Center recently published a guide explaining some of the potential risks of using the app, such as leaving the country without closing an immigration court case and becoming ineligible for a future visa.—
Melissa Sanchez,
ProPublica,
10 Oct. 2025
-
After the shot, the deer ran another 40 yards, leaving a good blood trail.—
Marguerite Reiss,
Outdoor Life,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Fields would find the end zone a third time at the beginning of the second quarter, giving the Eagles a commanding 19-0 advantage over Southwest.—
Raul Avila,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Rojas appeared in four postseason games in 2024 as the Dodgers marched to the World Series and defeated the New York Yankees, giving Rojas his first championship ring.—
Jon Paul Hoornstra,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Another new law, SB312, implements a requirement that dogs imported into the state for the purpose of selling or transferring ownership have a health certification completed by a veterinarian dated no more than ten days prior to arrival in California.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Murphy passed for 5,436 yards and 85 TDs at Austin Regents during his freshman and sophomore years before transferring to Liberty Christian to begin the 2024 season.—
Mike Waters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Instead, the mark of leadership will be managing agile teams of human and AI collaborators—delegating, coordinating, and integrating outputs to achieve greater results than either type of contributor could alone.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
10 Oct. 2025
-
For a first-time head coach who is also calling the plays, delegating responsibilities is a key factor in having success.—
Jon Machota,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Carolina program also came under scrutiny after an assistant cornerbacks coach was suspended following the Week 6 loss to Clemson for allegations of extra benefits, after supplying a player’s family members with sideline passes for a game.—
Lauren Merola,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Close inside valves supplying outdoor hose bibs.—
Jalen Williams,
Freep.com,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Developed in partnership with the National Film and Television School (NFTS), the TV Freelancers Reskill and Upskill Program is a free virtual training initiative that will offer over 60 one-day online courses reaching up to 1,000 freelancers nationwide.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Three hurricanes—Erin, Gabrielle, and Humberto—intensified to at least Category 4 at their peak, with both Erin and Humberto reaching Category 5 intensity, though all of them did so over the Atlantic rather than on land.—
Simmone Shah,
Time,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Handing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handing. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share