handles 1 of 2

Definition of handlesnext
present tense third-person singular of handle
1
2
as in treats
to behave toward in a stated way handles all requests professionally, even when customers are rude

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

4
5
6

handles

2 of 2

noun

plural of handle

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 handles
Verb
Downstairs at The Landing, the Food Hall handles the group's picky eaters with pizza, burgers, and wraps, all without a reservation. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 May 2026 Ask how the platform handles episodic memory (what happened, with replay), semantic memory grounded in the ontology (so meaning does not drift between agents) and procedural memory expressed as versioned, testable skills and MCP tools. Shailesh Manjrekar, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026 TruTV will continue to have Rally coverage before and after the McEnroes’ stints, while TNT handles marquee match presentations. Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 18 May 2026 Planeta handles the broader education, with wines that have become reference points for the whole island. Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 18 May 2026 In peacetime, the Strait of Hormuz handles roughly a fifth of global oil and LNG shipments, as well as other major commodities, including fertilizer. Alex Sundby, CBS News, 18 May 2026 Chief Justice John Roberts, who handles emergency petitions out of Virginia, will decide whether to reject the petition on his own or refer the petition to the full Supreme Court for a decision. Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 11 May 2026 The concierge handles that matchmaking from the member’s profile, pairing travelers to properties based on preferences rather than price. Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 11 May 2026 Local law enforcement handles airport security and is investigating with support from the FAA and TSA. Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2026
Noun
Close the doors and wipe down the handles with the wipe. Ashlyn Needham, The Spruce, 16 May 2026 The facility had tongs hanging on the oven handles. Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado may 15, Sacbee.com, 15 May 2026 Important Small Habits The biggest secret to cleaner refrigerator handles is consistency. Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 14 May 2026 Wembanyama is 7-foot-4, handles like a guard, shoots threes, and blocks shots. Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026 Leclerc himself picked various custom details, such as the door handles and the elegant Corian Calacatta Greige acrylic throughout. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 8 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handles
Verb
  • But more than any business accolade, Leah has found success doing the thing that every influencer wants to but almost none manages.
    Anna Peele, Vanity Fair, 14 May 2026
  • The movie manages to be rigorously muddled despite not being all that complicated.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • Shah treats daytime exertion as the precondition for nighttime rest, rather than the opposite.
    Angela Haupt, Time, 15 May 2026
  • In a culture built around convenience and replacement, their studio offers a different approach, one that treats damage not as an endpoint, but as the beginning of something that takes time to restore.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • The residual 1 percent now operates at machine speed against an agent with wallet access.
    Janakiram MSV, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
  • Samsung operates 12 fabrication lines, employs over 260,000 people worldwide, and is investing $73 billion in semiconductor capex and R&D this year alone, the largest single-year chip investment by any company in history.
    Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 17 May 2026
Verb
  • Major Kevin Corbett, who works for the BSO’s detention department, testified that the rapper is kept in a 30-cell unit by himself and an emergency-response team — dressed in tactical attire — supervises him 24 hours a day.
    Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 7 May 2026
  • The Chinese government officially recognizes five religions — Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Protestantism and Islam — and tightly supervises them.
    ABC News, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The press release confirms BetHog accepts 10 cryptocurrencies.
    Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
  • The moment is met with enthusiastic cheers and applause from the audience, as Sadie calmly accepts her gift and walks off the graduation stage with Muse.
    Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 19 May 2026
Verb
  • Each vehicle operates on Rivian's FleetOS platform, which oversees routing, charging, diagnostics, predictive upkeep, and telematics.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
  • The company absorbed xAI earlier this year and now oversees products tied to Grok, Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot platform.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 May 2026
Noun
  • With all these features and a unique design that eliminates all the rattling and imprecise grips of conventional wrenches, this tool could find frequent use in your workshop.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 May 2026
  • Modern technology lets pitchers experiment with grips and spins to create gnarly movement and ambush batters with off-speed action.
    Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
Noun
  • Over the past three weeks, the collapse of the once-tight bond between two of the most prominent names in AI has been the subject of a high-profile trial in Oakland, California, after Musk sued Altman and OpenAI in 2024 for allegedly violating their commitment to keep OpenAI as a nonprofit.
    Ashley Capoot,Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 18 May 2026
  • This new purchase marked the names and locations of more than 150 football teams.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 May 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Handles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handles. Accessed 23 May. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on handles

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster