1
as in relinquishing
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress
the police officer ordered the suspect to hand over his weapons
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in providing
to put (something) into the possession of someone for use or consumption
in response to a desperate plea, we handed over all our extra blankets and pillows to the homeless shelter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in leaving
to put (something) into the possession or safekeeping of another
handed over their valuables to the desk clerk, who put them in the hotel safe
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in handing
to shift possession of (something) from one person to another
hand over that screwdriver, will you please?
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of handing over
The recurring worry was that the technology can be confidently wrong, handing over a clean, plausible answer that happens to be mistaken.
—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Ferguson and his team had to build pitches on top of the existing ones, with some venues only handing over the premises days before, due to commercial commitments.
—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
Discussions have centered on AI firms voluntarily handing over shares to the government, with returns funneled to public purposes, such as dividends to all American households, according to NOTUS.
—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
5 June 2026
Norrased sought to reassure him, telling him that the water was being drained, and handing over blankets and food.
—
Jintamas Saksornchai,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
The Shenzhou 21 crew will return to Earth on May 29, after handing over control of Tiangong to the incoming Shenzhou 23 astronauts.
—
Andrew Jones,
Space.com,
24 May 2026
As for Tom, he’s blindsided by Carl and his former partner arranging the deal with the Department of Defense and even more deeply bruised by handing over precious VA personal data to men who spend their days dreaming up cynical ways to exploit it for profit.
—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
24 May 2026
Pirates reliever Dennis Santana brokered a trade with a young fan for the ball, handing over a bat signed by Valdez and a Pirates cap in exchange for Valdez's keepsake.
—
CBS News,
24 May 2026
That one decision likely saved him from handing over personal information.
—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Ferguson and his team had to build pitches on top of the existing ones, with some venues only handing over the premises days before, due to commercial commitments.
—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
Discussions have centered on AI firms voluntarily handing over shares to the government, with returns funneled to public purposes, such as dividends to all American households, according to NOTUS.
—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
5 June 2026
Norrased sought to reassure him, telling him that the water was being drained, and handing over blankets and food.
—
Jintamas Saksornchai,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
The Shenzhou 21 crew will return to Earth on May 29, after handing over control of Tiangong to the incoming Shenzhou 23 astronauts.
—
Andrew Jones,
Space.com,
24 May 2026
As for Tom, he’s blindsided by Carl and his former partner arranging the deal with the Department of Defense and even more deeply bruised by handing over precious VA personal data to men who spend their days dreaming up cynical ways to exploit it for profit.
—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
24 May 2026
Pirates reliever Dennis Santana brokered a trade with a young fan for the ball, handing over a bat signed by Valdez and a Pirates cap in exchange for Valdez's keepsake.
—
CBS News,
24 May 2026
That one decision likely saved him from handing over personal information.
—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handing over
Verb
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Iran also demanded in early April the right to collect tolls as a precondition for relinquishing its chokehold on the strait.
-
In 2023, ten years after relinquishing the kneeling figures, the Met gave a further 14 items from its collection back to Cambodia.
Verb
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Looking for a silver lining Some analysts fear that the friction over the 250th celebrations, especially the national ones, may end up reinforcing the nation's bitter divide rather than providing a respite from it.
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It is credited with being the first system to capture images of collision between large astronomical objects and providing strong proof on the road to confirming that supermassive black holes exist.
Verb
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The case was initiated in August by an asylum-seeker from Guatemala who was arrested after leaving a routine immigration hearing in San Francisco and then held without access to adequate hygiene, sanitation, medical care and legal advice, according to the complaint.
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The 'new normal' The threats facing high-profile events in 2026 differ from those held in recent decades as technology has quickly evolved, experts said, leaving law enforcement agencies working to catch up.
Verb
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Michael Lind, the writer and New America co-founder, argues in Commonplace, the magazine of Oren Cass’s American Compass, that a decent wage and a safety net should be enough, and that handing workers a stake in capital insults the dignity of their labor.
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Indeed, Gibson has found that there is nothing more rewarding than handing a patient a pair of dentures that will bring back their confidence and sense of self.
Verb
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Pentagon officials, military contractors and lawmakers often claim that the weapons acquisition process is overregulated, rendering it too rigid and slow to keep pace with technological innovation and pacing threats.
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The California Highway Patrol officer radioed for assistance while rendering medical aid to the couple.
Verb
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Healthcare economists say giving people access to preventive healthcare saves taxpayers money in the long run by keeping the workforce healthy and relieving pressure on an overburdened system.
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Denise Mendez is practicing giving cues to a training dog at the Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehabilitation Center.
Verb
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When in a group, space out to prevent the current from transferring between individuals.
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Instead of actual Styrofoam, Artemis missions use the material Avcoat, which slowly burns away, transferring heat away from the Orion crew capsule.
Verb
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By contrast, the newcomers spoke their own languages, perhaps with a passing knowledge of Latin too.
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Eventually, the Custer statue became a gathering place for public protests and demonstrations in Monroe on a range of topics, given the visibility from passing traffic and spillover space in the parking lot.
Cite this Entry
“Handing over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handing%20over. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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