hands-down 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of hands-downnext
as in easy
involving minimal difficulty or effort after all that worrying, the game for the championship turned out to be a hands-down win

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

hands down

2 of 3

adverb

ˈhan(d)z-ˈdau̇n How to pronounce hands down (audio)
1
as in definitely
without any question she is hands down the most gifted musician in the class

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in easily
without difficulty she'll win the dancing competition hands down

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

hands down

3 of 3

verb

present tense third-person singular of hand down
1
as in passes (down)

Related Words

Dissimilar Words
2
as in kithes

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Dissimilar 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 hands-down
Adjective
Best Restaurants Shift Kitchen & Bar A hands-down favorite for Marquess is Shift, which has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation and has a menu that includes family-style plates and a beloved dessert menu. — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026 The hands-down highlight, though, is The Point, a spectacular circular building with a Spanish restaurant downstairs and an infinity pool with a swim-up bar upstairs. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 June 2026 GoPro still led the pack in slow motion (the Hero13 goes to 400fps in some modes), but could no longer claim to have the hands-down best action camera. — Jim Fisher, PC Magazine, 11 June 2026 This is my all-time favorite Jane Austen novel—and hands-down favorite literary love story. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 10 June 2026 But Ramis' best output is hands-down Groundhog Day (1993). — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 8 June 2026 Convenient and effective, at keeping your beverages cool, yes, but the worst part about most coolers is hands-down the bulkiness. — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 May 2026 This is my hands-down favorite purse because of the clever design. — Jacqueline Tempera, PEOPLE, 5 May 2026 But his hands-down, semi-reckless style typically gives opponents a high offensive floor early in the fight, which has always been a concern of mine. — Brett Appley, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hands-down
  1. easy
  2. definitely
  3. easily
  4. informs
  5. smooth
  6. certainly
  7. smoothly
  8. notifies
Adjective
  • Building new office space won’t be an easy task, according to Barry Fabyan, executive director and co-lead of Cushman & Wakefield’s office agency.
    — Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 22 July 2026
  • An isolated patient can find medical influencers, therapist creators, or medical humorists who translate the opaque language of healthcare into something human, tailored, and easier to understand.
    — Belonging Forum, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of easy
Adverb
  • The ladies really do it up, particularly Tamra and Vicki, who definitely hired a makeup artist to make them into the female version of Bad Grandpa.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 17 July 2026
  • DeMarco said there’s no timetable for Satou Sabally (concussion), but a return definitely won’t be prior to All-Star Break.
    — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 17 July 2026
Definition of definitely
Adverb
  • Odysseus then shed his disguise and completes the challenge easily.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
  • Patel shines quietly but brightly as the very human Eurylochus, whose eventual doubts about Odysseus could very easily have veered into villain territory.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
Definition of easily
Verb
  • That positioning informs the accompanying campaign, filmed in Miami by director Bardia Zeinali, photographed by Stuart Winecoff and styled by Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele.
    — Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 22 July 2026
  • Moving on to the housekeeping items, the organizer informs us of the presence of a documentary film crew on the grounds.
    — Nick H. Penniman, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2026
Definition of informs
Adjective
  • The Vienna uses an old-school cadence sensor, but because the rear motor is only 350 watts at maximum, engagement is smooth and unobtrusive.
    — William Roberson, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • There was something similar last year, when Norris’s driving style would excel in lower-grip conditions, and Piastri would then enjoy the upper hand on higher-grip track surfaces thanks to his smoother approach.
    — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of smooth
Adverb
  • An exploded sunfish spread out in the water in thousands of pieces is certainly easier to share, offering another possible explanation for this practice.
    — Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 23 July 2026
  • So Dejan Joveljic’s goal in the 28th minute to break a scoreless deadlock was certainly a welcome sign.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026
Definition of certainly
Adverb
  • Just as the drive to work might have gone smoothly yesterday, there can be a sudden, unpredictable bottleneck on the same route today.
    — Moshe Kimhi, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • Here are expert tips to make the transition go smoothly, not just for your child but for you, too.
    — Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 20 July 2026
Definition of smoothly
Verb
  • The Monetary Authority of Singapore added the platform to its Investor Alert List in June, which publicly notifies people that an entity is neither licensed nor authorized in the city-state.
    — Anniek Bao,Jenny Lee, CNBC, 23 July 2026
  • So, his company has turned instead to an app, Zello, run by a private company, which notifies locals of Russian drones flying nearby.
    — Daria Tarasova-Markina, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
Definition of notifies

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Hands-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hands-down. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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