hand over 1 of 2

1
as in to relinquish
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

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2
as in to provide
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

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3
4
as in to pass
to shift possession of (something) from one person to another hand over that screwdriver, will you please?

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handover

2 of 2

noun

as in surrender
the usually forced yielding of one's person or possessions to the control of another though the handover of my wallet was painful, it was better than getting shot by some trigger-happy punk

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand over
Verb
  • Despite bipartisan and nearly unequivocal support for Gypsum Canyon in the intervening four years, Agran has refused to relinquish his goal of completing a veterans cemetery in Irvine.
    Jonathan Horwitz, Oc Register, 28 May 2025
  • Harvard University will relinquish 175-year-old photographs believed to be the earliest taken of enslaved people to a South Carolina museum devoted to African American history as part of a settlement with one of the subjects’ descendants.
    Leah Willingham, Christian Science Monitor, 28 May 2025
Verb
  • Stankey believed substantially more content would increase viewer engagement, and that would provide more data, in turn enabling monetization through advertising and subscriptions.
    Dev Patnaik, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
  • Turning compost piles provides more air to beneficial microbes, helping to speed up the composting process and creating enough heat to kill weed seeds, pests, and pathogens.
    Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 June 2025
Verb
  • The Pittsburgh Pirates won both games, 2-1 and 5-1. 1963 — Playing the first Sunday night game in major league history because of excessive heat during the day, the Houston Colt .45s handed the San Francisco Giants their seventh straight loss in Houston, 3-0.
    Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
  • Lamar, who is the night’s most nominated act, was handed a slew of additional trophies by host Kevin Hart, though the particulars of the awards were not named.
    Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 9 June 2025
Noun
  • This card often arrives when a cycle of surrender is necessary.
    Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 June 2025
  • The earliest mechanisms for anonymous infant surrender debuted thousands of years ago in Europe.
    Time, Time, 28 May 2025
Verb
  • From Feed Hygiene to Discovery Advantage Unlike traditional search ads that appear alongside blue links, AI search ads will be rendered inside conversational answers themselves.
    Kiri Masters, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
  • In fact, without the ocean as a natural buffer, climate change would have already rendered our planet uninhabitable.
    Jenna DiPaolo, Sun Sentinel, 1 June 2025
Verb
  • Adding Ángeles Cruz also seemed natural to give Sira a voice.
    Callum McLennan, Variety, 8 June 2025
  • Some shook their legs nervously, others gave death glares to folks with the misfortune of sitting on creaky chairs.
    Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 8 June 2025
Verb
  • Guests are encouraged to leave their small army assistants and handlers behind (though some stash them in nearby hotels).
    Matt Donnelly, Variety, 10 June 2025
  • The report said nearly a third of Britain’s 2.4M creative employees experience workplace conflict, resulting in people leaving jobs early or being out of work.
    Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 10 June 2025
Noun
  • The clips went viral on social media ahead of the Season 7 premiere, and in response, Love Island fans vowed to vote her out once submissions opened through the show’s official app.
    Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
  • This can look like reassessing submission criteria, ensuring diverse representation on juries and panels, committing to transparent selection processes, and actively seeking out talent from a wide range of backgrounds and identities.
    Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 4 June 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Hand over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand%20over. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.

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