1
as in to manage
to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently
as host of a live TV talk show, she must handle any situation that comes up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to treat
to behave toward in a stated way
handles all requests professionally, even when customers are rude
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
4
as in to supervise
to look after and make decisions about
she takes care of the flower beds, and he handles all the lawn care
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in to tolerate
to put up with (something painful or difficult)
I can't handle much more of this foul weather
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to oversee
to be in charge of
I'll be handling the team's workouts while the leader is on vacation
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
2
as in name
a word or combination of words by which a person or thing is regularly known
likes to go by the handle "Champ"
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in nickname
a descriptive or familiar name given instead of or in addition to the one belonging to an individual
since it seemed decreed that every new firefighter have a handle, his was soon "Hulk"
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 handle
Jordan Novet, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025
Universal Pictures International is set to handle international distribution.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025
New Atlas, 18 Oct. 2025
Photographer Gabriel Antal shared heartstopping footage to Instagram, under the handle hybaj_na_island, of the moment the group stopped to take pictures on the rocks at Reynisfjara, a famous black sand beach located in southern Iceland, near the town of Vík í Mýrdal.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for handle
Verb
A day earlier, Salesforce expanded Agentforce beyond text chats to also handle voice calls.
—Jordan Novet, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025
Universal Pictures International is set to handle international distribution.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
No running boards or easily-accessible grab handles for getting in and out, for example, and fuel economy is pretty abysmal.
—New Atlas, 18 Oct. 2025
Photographer Gabriel Antal shared heartstopping footage to Instagram, under the handle hybaj_na_island, of the moment the group stopped to take pictures on the rocks at Reynisfjara, a famous black sand beach located in southern Iceland, near the town of Vík í Mýrdal.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for handle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handle
Verb
-
This means astronauts will have to diagnose, treat, and manage crises without ground support, even if a crew member becomes incapacitated.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The chicken scene generally captures the way Orlean can cast a thoughtful eye over her life’s experiences and still manage to be funny while not dismissing the darts life threw at her.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Senior Democrats are treating Saturday’s demonstrations as a show of strength and are urging participants to be peaceful amid fears disorder could be used to justify an administration crackdown.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Fans of Tim Burton's Frankenweenie were treated to an animatronics line in June, featuring an over 5-foot tall Victor, Emily, along with a 2-foot tall Sparky.—
Ramon Padilla,
USA Today,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Wall Street analysts estimate the fire to cost Ford between $500 million to $1 billion in operating income.—
Michael Wayland,
CNBC,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Emirates confirmed to Reuters that its plane was leased from and operated by ACT Airlines, a Turkish carrier that provides extra cargo capacity to major airlines.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Susan Zirinsky and Terence Wrong serve as executive producers for See It Now, with Aysu Saliba and Cara Tortora supervising producers.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Phil Hanna was to supervise the hanging, and Arthur Hash was to pull the trigger that would cause the fall.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Abbott was the first to announce the deployment of the Texas National Guard to Austin through a foreboding statement on X, warning that any disorder wouldn’t be tolerated.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Though enzymatic processes tolerate more contamination than many chemical ones, industrial plants will likely still require pretreatment (washing, grinding, delabeling) to avoid enzyme fouling.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
As director of student media, Jim Rodenbush did not directly oversee or have any say over the content published in the IDS, per a charter between the IDS and the university.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
14 Oct. 2025
-
The milestone follows León’s relationship with his manager and business partner, Jorge Juárez, who began overseeing his career nearly two years ago.—
Leila Cobo,
Billboard,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
With a good-looking frame and lower-body athleticism, Smith does an outstanding job keeping his feet beneath him to square up defenders, extend his arms and use his grip strength to control his man.—
Dane Brugler,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
While these relatives possessed human-like hand proportions, their grip strength more likely resembled one of today’s great apes.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The group published their ideas, known early on as neoplasticism (Nieuwe Beelding), through the magazine De Stijl, whose title eventually became the popular name of their movement.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
15 Oct. 2025
-
That group of names included New York Jets running back Breece Hall, and Locker named the Chiefs among his top landing spots.—
Max Dible,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Handle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handle. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share