Synonyms of handles

handles 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of handle

1

as in manages

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

• manages
• addresses
• manipulates
• treats
• negotiates
• takes
• plays
• maneuvers
• swings
• contends (with)
• fields
• pulls
• controls
• grapples (with)
• comes to grips with
• hacks
• has a grip on
• regulates
• copes (with)
• engineers
• steers
• directs
• guides
• carries out
• finesses
• gets off
• responds (to)
• reacts (to)
• carries off
• commands
• runs
• jockeys
• brings off
• micromanages

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fumbles
• mishandles
• bungles
• botches
• muffs
• messes (up)
• goofs (up)
• louses up
• scamps
• foozles

2

as in treats

to behave toward in a stated way

handles all requests professionally, even when customers are rude

Synonyms & Similar Words

• treats
• serves
• uses
• is (to)
• acts (toward)
• deals (with)
• regards
• does by
• considers
• responds (to)
• reacts (to)
• views
• engages (with)
• rates
• reckons
• esteems

3

as in operates

to control the mechanical operation of

learned how to handle basic woodworking power tools

Synonyms & Similar Words

• operates
• uses
• works
• runs
• manipulates
• drives
• wields
• controls
• maneuvers
• directs
• guides
• steers
• plies
• commands
• pilots

4

as in supervises

to look after and make decisions about

she takes care of the flower beds, and he handles all the lawn care

Synonyms & Similar Words

• manages
• operates
• supervises
• oversees
• regulates
• controls
• conducts
• runs
• governs
• directs
• administers
• tends
• keeps
• guides
• protects
• administrates
• watches over
• overlooks
• superintends
• carries on
• leads
• steers
• presides (over)
• watches
• stewards
• guards
• safeguards
• cares (for)
• minds
• pilots
• micromanages
• stage-manages
• codirects
• comanages

5

as in accepts

to put up with (something painful or difficult)

I can't handle much more of this foul weather

Synonyms & Similar Words

• accepts
• stands
• tolerates
• endures
• takes
• sustains
• absorbs
• bears
• supports
• wears
• swallows
• meets
• sticks out
• stands for
• pockets
• lives with
• abides
• stomachs
• hacks
• lumps (it)
• goes
• brooks
• countenances
• sweats out
• bides
• suffers
• allows
• permits
• toughs it out
• reconciles (to)
• yields (to)
• submits (to)
• consents (to)
• agrees (with or to)
• respects
• assents (to)
• acquiesces
• capitulates

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• refuses
• rejects
• dismisses
• declines
• resists
• opposes
• turns down
• avoids
• repudiates
• spurns
• fights
• combats
• escapes
• misses
• contests
• bypasses
• evades
• circumvents
• eludes
• dodges
• refrains (from)
• abstains (from)
• forbears

6

as in oversees

to be in charge of

I'll be handling the team's workouts while the leader is on vacation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• supervises
• oversees
• manages
• steers
• commands
• directs
• controls
• heads
• runs
• bosses
• overlooks
• guides
• watches over
• orders
• superintends
• administers
• monitors
• shows
• captains
• calls the tune (for)
• calls the shots (of)
• rides herd on
• quarterbacks
• governs
• rules
• reigns
• presides (over)
• shepherds

handles

2 of 2

noun

plural of handle

1

as in grips

a part by which an implement is held

was given a set a steak knives with wooden handles

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grips
• hilts
• bows
• loops
• handgrips
• hafts
• helves
• shafts
• handlebars
• bars
• bails
• crops
• broomsticks
• whipstocks

2

as in names

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

• names
• monikers
• titles
• nomenclatures
• nicknames
• designations
• banners
• epithets
• denominations
• surnames
• pseudonyms
• cognomens
• denotations
• compellations
• appellations
• given names
• appellatives
• first names
• family names
• Christian names
• labels
• aliases
• maiden names
• tags
• baptismal names
• pen names
• middle names
• trivial names
• forenames
• brand names
• trade names
• patronymics
• matronymics
• sobriquets
• diminutives
• noms de plume
• bynames
• cryptonyms
• monomials
• trademarks
• noms de guerre
• binomials
• rubrics
• hypocorisms
• vernaculars
• misnomers

3

as in nicknames

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

• nicknames
• epithets
• surnames
• monikers
• aliases
• pseudonyms
• labels
• tags
• bynames
• cognomens
• titles
• sobriquets
• denominations
• designations
• pen names
• denotations
• appellations
• noms de plume
• anonyms
• noms de guerre

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of handles

Verb

What locked chats don’t do Locking a chat changes where a conversation appears and how it’s opened—not how OpenAI handles it. — Fernanda Tronco, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Research a potential lender's track record — its Better Business Bureau rating and customer reviews can give you a sense of how a lender handles applications, payments and problems that arise after borrowing. — Dan Avery, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026

Either way, the retailer remains the seller of record and handles order confirmations and customer support. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Ameritex handles spills and messier households Real Simple editors also pointed to the Ameritex Waterproof Cover for Furniture as a lower-cost option for messier rooms. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2026

If eating a Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkin sends you back to nights in elementary school sorting candy on your living room floor, that memory formed by passing through your brain’s gustatory cortex, which handles taste. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 22 Oct. 2026

The same issue is also impacting the city's OAK311, which handles non-emergency calls. — Tim Fang, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

If a policy doesn’t say how AI handles your data, don’t assume it’s handled responsibly. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Sara Qudah, who handles the Middle East for the Committee to Protect Journalists, said Levine's beating was not an isolated incident for journalists covering the West Bank olive harvest. — Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR, 16 Oct. 2026

Noun

Claude also found an out-of-bounds read that depended on a particular sequence of operations involving two handles to the same file. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 22 Oct. 2026

Other features include comfortable handles, an adjustable strap, and a luggage sleeve. — Kaitlin Gates, Travel + Leisure, 22 Oct. 2026

The goal is to preserve and restore as much as possible, eventually combining components like handles and aluminum bins from different kitchens to reconstruct a complete model for museums or similar academic and cultural institutions. — Tara Anne Dalbow, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2026

Accumulation of food debris observed on the handles of the reach-in freezer and reach-in refrigerator; accumulation of food debris observed on the interior bottom surface of both the refrigerators and freezers. — Nwa Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026

Inspectors test commonly touched surfaces like door handles, thermostats, remotes, light switches, faucets and toilet flush handles. — Ashley Lynch, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026

Younglingz’s latest version of its child-friendly travel suitcase features removable spinner wheels, a padded seat, folding handles, folding foot pedals, and a safety belt. — Time Staff, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Among the items back on Greek soil are black- and red-figure vessels, some with handles, decorated with scenes from Greek mythology, and would have been used in everyday life or as burial offerings. — Leigh Anne Miller, ARTnews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Resort staff confirmed that the knives, which had teal handles, did not belong to the lodge, according to the complaint. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026