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
No one was bowing down and handing them the World Series trophy just for that, just like no one should write them off because of a bad stretch of games.
—
Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
As the Timberwolves departed off the team bus in San Antonio on Sunday ahead of Game 1, there was Donte DiVincenzo, crutching his way off the steps before handing those off to hop onto his scooter.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 4 May 2026
The Los Angeles Angels walked off the Mets, 4-3, in the 10th inning on Saturday night at Angel Stadium, handing the Amazins’ their 18th loss in their last 22 tries.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 3 May 2026
Brunson and the assistant coaches tasked with handing him the iPad have it down to a science.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 3 May 2026
As Romans walks into his barn office, which seems not big enough to contain his 6-foot-2-inch frame, his longtime worker, Cristina Bahena, walks in with a big foam cup filled with ice, wordlessly handing it to Romans.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 2 May 2026
The Storm defeated Birmingham on the road two weeks ago, handing the Stallions the first-ever UFL shutout 16-0.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 May 2026
Still, Takuma prevented Ioka from becoming a five-division champion, handing that possible honor to his brother, believed to have a good chance of doing just that.
—ABC News, 2 May 2026
Pooling money from wealthy donors and handing it to athletes is no longer a legitimate transition.
—Arkansas Online, 30 Apr. 2026
Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
As the Timberwolves departed off the team bus in San Antonio on Sunday ahead of Game 1, there was Donte DiVincenzo, crutching his way off the steps before handing those off to hop onto his scooter.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 4 May 2026
The Los Angeles Angels walked off the Mets, 4-3, in the 10th inning on Saturday night at Angel Stadium, handing the Amazins’ their 18th loss in their last 22 tries.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 3 May 2026
Brunson and the assistant coaches tasked with handing him the iPad have it down to a science.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 3 May 2026
As Romans walks into his barn office, which seems not big enough to contain his 6-foot-2-inch frame, his longtime worker, Cristina Bahena, walks in with a big foam cup filled with ice, wordlessly handing it to Romans.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 2 May 2026
The Storm defeated Birmingham on the road two weeks ago, handing the Stallions the first-ever UFL shutout 16-0.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 May 2026
Still, Takuma prevented Ioka from becoming a five-division champion, handing that possible honor to his brother, believed to have a good chance of doing just that.
—ABC News, 2 May 2026
Pooling money from wealthy donors and handing it to athletes is no longer a legitimate transition.
—Arkansas Online, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handing
Verb
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Plants produce large, rounded flowerheads from late summer to fall in sparkling pink, purple, and rose-red hues, providing a late season source of nectar to bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
10 May 2026
-
Third places are crucial for combating loneliness by providing a free (or relatively inexpensive) environment to relax, connect, and socialize.—
Ashlee Gadd,
PEOPLE,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
If Democrats win the House, our first priority should be passing a comprehensive affordability package that will bring down the costs of child care, housing and health care.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
Unlike at Shadden’s, the only mechanical purr is the brief rumble of a passing car.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 May 2026
Verb
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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
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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
-
There, the pair of college students would listen to the trills of saxophones and shake hands with musicians, sometimes giving band members rides to gigs.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 May 2026
-
How Florida’s new voting maps favor white voters Voting rights groups have criticized the new Florida maps as giving an unfair advantage to the GOP and the white communities that make up the majority of the party’s voter base.—
Raisa Habersham,
Miami Herald,
7 May 2026
Verb
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After transferring from West Aurora, Tyler Davis has been in Aurora Central Catholic’s baseball program for only two seasons, but one thing was clear right away.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
-
Whether those six figures are invested in real estate, stocks, bonds, precious metals or a mix of all four, taking this much money out of your savings account and transferring it elsewhere always needs to be done judiciously.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
8 May 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 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
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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
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Santa Margarita’s boys medley relay featured Sam Zhou, Taylor Thongintra and Darren Nguyen before reaching Korner.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
10 May 2026
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Furthermore, the Chinese company behind the system has already begun moving toward commercialization, with its earlier Hanyuan-1 model reaching an important milestone in November last year after winning its first contracts from customers in both China and overseas markets.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Handing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handing. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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