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handled

verb

past tense of handle
1
as in addressed
to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently as host of a live TV talk show, she must handle any situation that comes up

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2
as in treated
to behave toward in a stated way handles all requests professionally, even when customers are rude

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3
as in operated
to control the mechanical operation of learned how to handle basic woodworking power tools

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4
as in managed
to look after and make decisions about she takes care of the flower beds, and he handles all the lawn care

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5
as in tolerated
to put up with (something painful or difficult) I can't handle much more of this foul weather

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in supervised
to be in charge of I'll be handling the team's workouts while the leader is on vacation

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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 handled Nate Jaros, vice president of animal care at the aquarium, said this is one of the largest hauls the aquarium has handled in years. — John Donegan Long Beach Post, Arkansas Online, 15 Sep. 2026 Policies renew, claims get handled, and leadership moves on to more immediate financial priorities. — Randy Sadler, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026 Furthermore, Forum Film Ltd has acquired multiple territories including Israel, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, with worldwide airlines handled by Skeye Inflight Entertainment. — Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026 But he was encouraged by how his players handled the early adversity of turning the ball over on their first possession. — ABC News, 13 Sep. 2026 And post-race Hamilton again noted how Ferrari’s teamwork execution wasn’t handled well — on Saturday or Sunday. — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 Vanhée handled that dilemma confidently in her first collection, for the Fall 2015 season. — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026 Brown says another passenger handled the problem differently. — Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026 That the siege of Troy might have been handled a bit more successfully if the Greeks had a bazooka? — Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handled
  1. addressed
  2. treated
  3. operated
  4. managed
  5. tolerated
  6. supervised
  7. manipulated
  8. served
Verb
  • Two doctors from Formula Medicine, an Italian center for driver performance working with BMW, which runs two cars in Hypercar in conjunction with the WRT team, directly addressed the suit’s cooling duration.
    — Patrick Iversen, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • In an interview with Spectrum News, Husted addressed a seeming shift in his position.
    — Maham Javaid, NPR, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of addressed
Verb
  • For a long time, sleep research has treated the cerebral cortex as a passive follower reacting to signals from the deep brain.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2026
  • She was treated with such indifference by the Bordens that, with the exception of Abby, no one bothered to learn her name, calling her by the name of their last servant, Maggie, instead.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of treated
Verb
  • Since 2018, Hialeah’s libraries operated as their own independent city department, answering directly to the mayor and council rather than sitting under a larger agency.
    — Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2026
  • An onboard safety pilot remained present throughout the flight but never operated the aircraft’s controls.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of operated
Verb
  • Today, the hotel is managed by Sunday Hospitality, which also oversees a few New York City hotspot restaurants, like Rule of Thirds and Sunday in Brooklyn.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The Two Possible Paths The cost-reduction path is based on the perspective that marketing is a cost to be managed.
    — George Couris, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of managed
Verb
  • But Hyrox has said that abuse or harassment aimed toward Wietrzyk will not be tolerated — and could result in competitors being banned from future events.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026
  • There are too many wars across the world causing immeasurable pain, none of which should be tolerated.
    — Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of tolerated
Verb
  • Remote operators supervised the flight from distances reaching 2,323 miles.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
  • He was sentenced to 50 days in jail but given credit for 50 days of time served and supervised release for three years.
    — Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of supervised
Verb
  • While companies can license those characters for interactive experiences — one hypothetical Thomson offered was a Waymo with the voice of Prime — those can’t be manipulated in the way many unauthorized clips of Hasbro characters have been.
    — Corbin Bolies, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026
  • One potential reason floated to Semafor by market participants is that compute futures could be manipulated to show a sharp drop in the cost of older chips, which might destabilize AI stocks and debt markets.
    — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of manipulated
Verb
  • The court had unsealed an arrest warrant for Ronald Marapon dela Rosa, who served as national police chief under Duterte.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • After Abrahamson was accused in 2003 of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from an ex-girlfriend and her friends in a fake investment scheme, he was found guilty of violating his probation and served about seven years in state prison.
    — Kevin Fixler September 16, Idaho Statesman, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of served

Browse Nearby Words

handlebars
handled
handler
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Cite this Entry

“Handled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handled. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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