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
Relevance
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?
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 over
At the same time, Ncuti Gatwa, the 15th Doctor, exited the show under something of a cloud, seemingly handing over the keys to a familiar face in Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler.
—
Max Goldbart, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
Instead of simply handing over the keys, the former owners have taken the new young ones under their wing, offering advice and hands-on help.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
The newest models of the Vampire drone, which is produced by a Ukrainian company called Skyfall, allows pilots to switch on AI mode midflight, effectively handing over the controls to an algorithm.
—Simon Shuster, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
Yeat joins him in another room, handing over what appears to be a file or document.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025
Ultimately, China gets to keep the TikTok algorithm, simply licensing the algorithm to the US instead of handing over the heart of TikTok's success.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 16 Sep. 2025
No one sensible is handing over a phone that is barely 12 months old for the latest, iterative update.
—Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
But Kering has lost significant ground in the luxury space over the last few years as its core Gucci brand has slowed and Pinault is handing over operational duties to turnaround specialist Luca de Meo.
—Wwd Staff, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
But every so often, artists take a rarer route — handing over both the screen time and very much muted mic to stars who lip-sync in their place.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025
Max Goldbart, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
Instead of simply handing over the keys, the former owners have taken the new young ones under their wing, offering advice and hands-on help.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
The newest models of the Vampire drone, which is produced by a Ukrainian company called Skyfall, allows pilots to switch on AI mode midflight, effectively handing over the controls to an algorithm.
—Simon Shuster, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
Yeat joins him in another room, handing over what appears to be a file or document.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025
Ultimately, China gets to keep the TikTok algorithm, simply licensing the algorithm to the US instead of handing over the heart of TikTok's success.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 16 Sep. 2025
No one sensible is handing over a phone that is barely 12 months old for the latest, iterative update.
—Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
But Kering has lost significant ground in the luxury space over the last few years as its core Gucci brand has slowed and Pinault is handing over operational duties to turnaround specialist Luca de Meo.
—Wwd Staff, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
But every so often, artists take a rarer route — handing over both the screen time and very much muted mic to stars who lip-sync in their place.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handing over
Verb
-
The Buffalo Bills lasted seven weeks in the pole position before relinquishing the title to the Kansas City Chiefs.—
Scott Phillips,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Hamas has shown no signs of relinquishing power or its weapons.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Equipment needs and operational enhancements are being actively addressed through the current city budget process, reflecting our ongoing commitment to providing excellent service to our community.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
EngineAI confirmed that its production models are powered by NVIDIA Jetson Thor, providing up to 2000 TOPS of AI compute, along with a 360-degree LiDAR perception system.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Limited backup power could knock out internet access, leaving millions to wait for instant answers.—
Jamie Yuccas,
CBS News,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Vatti said Diamantis made an $80,000 payment on the day after signing the retainer and made an additional six payments totalling $105,000 between August 2024 and February 2025, leaving the $65,000 balance.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Case for Hiring a Pro Hiring a pet transporter means handing the leash—temporarily—to someone trained for the job.—
Maria Williams,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
-
How to Watch Suns vs Warriors Phoenix went supernova from the floor on Sunday night in handing the visiting San Antonio Spurs their first loss with a 130-118 decision.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
However, the amount of money actually saved by the department has been called into question and Musk has since left the administration, rendering DOGE somewhat defunct.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
6 Jan. 2026
-
However, the amount of money actually saved by the department has been called into question and Musk has since left the administration, rendering DOGE somewhat defunct.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Chinese leader then toured the vessel, including inspecting the mess hall and giving a trial press of the ship’s catapult button, according to CCTV.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
-
At Tesla’s annual meeting on Thursday, shareholders voted in favor of giving CEO Musk a gargantuan, record-shattering pay package that could give him stock worth $1 trillion after several years.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The former four-star recruit originally picked Ole Miss before transferring to South Carolina before the 2023 season.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
6 Jan. 2026
-
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Smothers is a former four-star recruit who started his career at Oklahoma before transferring to NC State before the 2024 season.—
Sam Khan Jr,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Meanwhile, second-year quarterback Drake Maye finds himself among the leading early MVP candidates while ranking fifth in the league in passing yards (2,285) and tied for third in touchdown passes (17) while throwing only four interceptions.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
The Bearcats had 222 yards passing and 273 yards rushing.—
The Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Handing over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handing%20over. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share