1
as in control
the ability to direct the course of something
the final decision is in your hands
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in enjoyment
the fact or state of having (something) at one's disposal
I'd like to get my hands on that vintage Cadillac convertible
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in provides
to put (something) into the possession of someone for use or consumption
was happy to hand her grandmother's cookie recipes to the parish ladies to put in their cookbook
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in passes
to shift possession of (something) from one person to another
the clerk handed her the receipt
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in leaves
to put (something) into the possession or safekeeping of another
handed me her bundles while she fished for her house keys
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
Using your hands, mix until combined (don’t be gentle; mixing well will help the meatballs hold their shape when formed).
—Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Capping credit card rates at 10% would tie banks’ hands.
—Matthew Kandrach, Boston Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
But the nearer the hands of the clock moved toward ten, the more that became difficult.
—Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
Svitolina, from Ukraine, refuses to shake hands at the net with any Russian or Belarusian players.
—Merlisa Lawrence Corbett, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Ross, who was one of several federal agents involved in the arrest, initially drew his service weapon, but holstered the gun after Muñoz-Guatemala stopped his car and raised his hands, according to the affidavit.
—Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026
The deadly shooting of a 37-year-old woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in a residential neighborhood in south Minneapolis has brought back painful memories of another high-profile incident in which a civilian died at the hands of a law enforcement officer.
—Jonah Kaplan, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Sue Lui always needed to do something with her hands.
—Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 9 Jan. 2026
Gladys Louise Tyler, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The case changes hands Meanwhile, the detective who initially investigated Harris’ killing retired from CPD.
—Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Despite the fact that Bradley’s father had promised Linda a promotion to VP, Bradley hands the role to his underqualified frat brother instead.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
In one scene, Harry hands Ben an external data card to load onto Ben’s ancient, 40-pound desktop computer.
—Beandrea July, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2026
That's a big caveat that essentially hands the president unrestricted power to fire members of the Fed and replace them with his personal picks.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 21 Jan. 2026
Most making the most of the moment Advertisement Judd Apatow hands the Best Director award to Paul Thomas Anderson.
—Melissa Locker, Time, 12 Jan. 2026
McCabe hands the Model T pickup to Farley.
—Jamie L. Lareau, USA Today, 10 Jan. 2026
Instead, someone hands me a wooden pole with a piece of foam taped around one end and mimes poking the machine in its chest.
—James Vincent, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Noun
Richard and Moody tried their hands at Butler-style pullup jumpers, and Hield handled the ball a tad more than Kerr would have probably liked.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
Using your hands, mix until combined (don’t be gentle; mixing well will help the meatballs hold their shape when formed).
—Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Capping credit card rates at 10% would tie banks’ hands.
—Matthew Kandrach, Boston Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
But the nearer the hands of the clock moved toward ten, the more that became difficult.
—Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
Svitolina, from Ukraine, refuses to shake hands at the net with any Russian or Belarusian players.
—Merlisa Lawrence Corbett, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Ross, who was one of several federal agents involved in the arrest, initially drew his service weapon, but holstered the gun after Muñoz-Guatemala stopped his car and raised his hands, according to the affidavit.
—Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026
The deadly shooting of a 37-year-old woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in a residential neighborhood in south Minneapolis has brought back painful memories of another high-profile incident in which a civilian died at the hands of a law enforcement officer.
—Jonah Kaplan, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Sue Lui always needed to do something with her hands.
—Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 9 Jan. 2026
Verb
Accept and embrace what the reach for more revenue hands us.
—Gladys Louise Tyler, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The case changes hands Meanwhile, the detective who initially investigated Harris’ killing retired from CPD.
—Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Despite the fact that Bradley’s father had promised Linda a promotion to VP, Bradley hands the role to his underqualified frat brother instead.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
In one scene, Harry hands Ben an external data card to load onto Ben’s ancient, 40-pound desktop computer.
—Beandrea July, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2026
That's a big caveat that essentially hands the president unrestricted power to fire members of the Fed and replace them with his personal picks.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 21 Jan. 2026
Most making the most of the moment Advertisement Judd Apatow hands the Best Director award to Paul Thomas Anderson.
—Melissa Locker, Time, 12 Jan. 2026
McCabe hands the Model T pickup to Farley.
—Jamie L. Lareau, USA Today, 10 Jan. 2026
Instead, someone hands me a wooden pole with a piece of foam taped around one end and mimes poking the machine in its chest.
—James Vincent, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hands
Noun
-
Engineers tracked stability and control across each phase.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Feb. 2026
-
As Farthing was assisting in traffic control, a man approached him from behind and stabbed him in the back, sheriff's office spokesperson Kim Peters said in a news release.—
Matthew Cupelli,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The lot of the property covers a substantial area of 8,116 square feet, complete with a pool for outdoor enjoyment.—
Bay Area Home Report,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The lawsuit accuses the city of taking no efforts to stop trespassers and failing to compensate the owners for their loss of use and enjoyment of the property.—
Jack Flemming,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The company provides fabrication, installation and tower services for broadcast, cellular, railroad and wind industries, according to its website.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The program trains officers to recognize certain personality types and provides techniques for de-escalation without physical conflict.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
My Grandmother's Go-To Seasoning Now, every family tends to have a seasoning that gets used the most, and it often can be traced back to the relative who passes down recipes and makes the meanest pimiento cheese in town.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
1 Feb. 2026
-
And as time passes, manufacturer incentives fade away.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The lightweight, non-sticky formula leaves behind a subtle gloss while protecting lips from both UVA and UVB rays.—
Melanie Fincher,
Southern Living,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The viral beauty gadget stimulates collagen, boosts circulation, and leaves you with plump, youthful results.—
Kyra Surgent,
InStyle,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Neither girl has an amazing grasp on the words, but Kenya is about 300 times more entertaining.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2026
-
To build their robot hand, the engineers began by creating a digital library of human hand grasp postures.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Olivia Olson, who had 23 points, made a three-point play and three-pointer on consecutive possessions and Syla Swords followed with a layup to help the Wolverines (19-3, 10-1 Big Ten) pull away with an eight-point lead in OT.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Jackson was charged with a felony for simultaneous possession of drugs and a firearm and felony drug possession.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Lincoln Avenue lost 58% of its customers and revenue after the fire, and now supplies water to about 2,400 customers, said John Clairday, the company’s board president.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Safe drinking water completely dried up in the town after the fire jumped containment lines and damaged the treatment plant that supplies Gellibrand’s potable water.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hands. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
