Hand

/hænd/ name, noun, phrase, verb, slang

name, noun, phrase, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: The part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals.
  • Grammar: hand is listed as name, noun, phrase, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: abalienate, accessible, acclaim, acclamation.
  • Useful contrasts: automatic, boss, employer.
  • Usage evidence: At the age of six he had learned to use the typewriter and told the teacher that he did not need to learn to write by hand.

How to use "hand"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hand" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hand" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hand" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hand" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "hand" is acting as name, noun, phrase, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "abalienate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "hand", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals.

    "Her hands are really strong."

  2. 2
    physical assistance wordnet
  3. 3
    That which resembles, or to some extent performs the office of, a human hand.; A limb of certain animals, such as the foot of a hawk, or any one of the four extremities of a monkey.
  4. 4
    terminal part of the forelimb in certain vertebrates (e.g. apes or kangaroos) wordnet
  5. 5
    That which resembles, or to some extent performs the office of, a human hand.; An index or pointer on a dial; such as the hour and minute hands on the face of an analog clock, which are used to indicate the time of day.

    "I hear the clock a'ticking on the mantel shelf / See the hands a'moving, but I'm by myself"

Show 37 more definitions
  1. 6
    a rotating pointer on the face of a timepiece wordnet
  2. 7
    That which is, or may be, held in a hand at once.; The set of cards held by a player.
  3. 8
    the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb wordnet
  4. 9
    That which is, or may be, held in a hand at once.; The set of cards held by a player.; A round of a card game.
  5. 10
    ability wordnet
  6. 11
    That which is, or may be, held in a hand at once.; A bundle of tobacco leaves tied together.
  7. 12
    one of two sides of an issue wordnet
  8. 13
    That which is, or may be, held in a hand at once.; A bunch of bananas, a typical retail amount, where individual fruits are fingers. collective
  9. 14
    something written by hand wordnet
  10. 15
    In linear measurement:; Four inches, a hand's breadth.

    "Boxer was an enormous beast, nearly eighteen hands high, and as strong as any two ordinary horses put together."

  11. 16
    a round of applause to signify approval wordnet
  12. 17
    In linear measurement:; Three inches. obsolete
  13. 18
    the cards held in a card game by a given player at any given time wordnet
  14. 19
    A side; part, camp; direction, either right or left.

    "[…]on this hand and that hand were hangings[…]"

  15. 20
    a position given by its location to the side of an object wordnet
  16. 21
    Power of performance; means of execution; ability; skill; dexterity.

    "My friend Will Honeycomb has told me, for above this half year, that he had a great mind to try his hand at a Spectator, and that he would fain have one of his writing in my works."

  17. 22
    a card player in a game of bridge wordnet
  18. 23
    An agent; a servant, or manual laborer; a workman, trained or competent for special service or duty. especially, in-compounds

    "Large farms need many farm hands."

  19. 24
    a member of the crew of a ship wordnet
  20. 25
    A performer more or less skilful.

    "an old hand at public speaking"

  21. 26
    a hired laborer on a farm or ranch wordnet
  22. 27
    An instance of helping.

    "Bob gave Alice a hand to move the furniture."

  23. 28
    a unit of length equal to 4 inches; used in measuring horses wordnet
  24. 29
    Handwriting; style of penmanship.

    "a good hand"

  25. 30
    A person's autograph or signature.

    "Who […] Haue paſt the armie of the mightie Turke: Bearing his priuie ſignet and his hand, To ſafe conduct vs thorow Affrica: […]"

  26. 31
    Promise, word; especially of a betrothal.

    "They once made Mourning and Fasting for the Death of the English Governor, who had given his Hand to come on such a Day to 'em, and neither came nor sent; believing, when a Man's Word was past, nothing but Death could or should prevent his keeping it: And when they saw he was not dead, they ask'd him what Name they had for a Man who promis'd a Thing he did not do?"

  27. 32
    Personal possession; ownership.

    "Receiving in hand one year’s tribute."

  28. 33
    Management, domain, control. in-plural

    "in safe hands"

  29. 34
    A hand which is free to assist; especially due to having one's hands full or otherwise fully preoccupied. colloquial

    "Just give me a minute - I haven't got any hands right now."

  30. 35
    Applause.

    "Give him a hand."

  31. 36
    A Native American gambling game, involving guessing the whereabouts of bits of ivory or similar, which are passed rapidly from hand to hand. historical
  32. 37
    The small part of a gunstock near the lock, which is grasped by the hand in taking aim.
  33. 38
    A whole rhizome of ginger.
  34. 39
    The feel of a fabric; the impression or quality of the fabric as judged qualitatively by the sense of touch.

    "This fabric has a smooth, soft hand."

  35. 40
    Actual performance; deed; act; workmanship; agency; hence, manner of performance. archaic

    "And Gideon ſaid vnto God, If thou wilt ſaue Iſrael by mine hand,[…]"

  36. 41
    Agency in transmission from one person to another. archaic

    "to buy at first hand (from the producer, or when new)"

  37. 42
    Rate; price. obsolete

    "For Time is the meaſure of Buſineſſe, as Money is of Wares: And Buſineſſe is bought at a deare Hand, where there is ſmall diſpatch."

Verb
  1. 1
    To give, pass or transmit with the hand, literally or figuratively. ditransitive

    "He handed them the letter. She handed me an opportunity."

  2. 2
    guide or conduct or usher somewhere wordnet
  3. 3
    To lead, guide, or assist with the hand; to conduct. transitive

    "to hand a lady into a carriage"

  4. 4
    place into the hands or custody of wordnet
  5. 5
    To manage. obsolete, transitive

    "I bleſs my Chain, I hand my Oar, / Nor think on all I left on Shoar."

Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    To seize; to lay hands on. obsolete, transitive

    "wee will not hand a rope more"

  2. 7
    To pledge by the hand; to handfast. rare, transitive
  3. 8
    To furl (a sail). transitive

    "send the people up to hand the sail, and when up, before they goon the yard, I'll clap the rolling tackle on to steady it"

  4. 9
    To cooperate. intransitive, obsolete
Phrase
  1. 1
    Initialism of have a nice day. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.

Synonyms

All synonyms
abalienateaccessibleacclaimacclamationaccomplished factaccomplishment

Example

"At the age of six he had learned to use the typewriter and told the teacher that he did not need to learn to write by hand."

Common questions

What does "hand" mean?

The part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals.

What is a synonym for "hand"?

Common synonyms include: abalienate, accessible, acclaim, acclamation, accomplished fact, accomplishment.

How do you use "hand" in a sentence?

At the age of six he had learned to use the typewriter and told the teacher that he did not need to learn to write by hand.

How do you pronounce "hand"?

Pronounced /hænd/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English hond, hand, from Old English hand, from Proto-West Germanic *handu, from Proto-Germanic *handuz. See also Dutch and Swedish hand (“hand”), Danish hånd, German Hand, West Frisian hân). Perhaps compare Old Swedish hinna (“to gain”), Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰-𐌷𐌹𐌽𐌸𐌰𐌽 (fra-hinþan, “to take captive, capture”); and Latvian sīts (“hunting spear”), Ancient Greek κεντέω (kentéō, “prick”), Albanian çandër (“pitchfork, prop”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English handen, honden, from the noun (see above); and also from henden (> English hend), from Old English *hendan, ġehendan (“to seize by hand, grasp, hold”), from Proto-West Germanic *handijan, from Proto-Germanic *handijaną (“to take by hand, grasp”), from the noun (see above). Cognate with Old Frisian handa, henda (“to grasp, seize”), Middle Low German handen, henden (in derivatives), Dutch handen, henden (“to arrange, dispose, be handy”), Dutch overhandigen (“to hand, hand over”), Middle High German handen (“to cut, hew”), Middle High German henden (“to give hands to; take hold of, seize”), Old Norse henda (“to grasp, seize, take by hand”).

Etymology 3

* As a Dutch, German, and English surname, from the noun hand, or used to translate surname for hand in other languages. * Also as an English surname, possibly from a pet form of Randall or names like Johan and Henry.

More for "hand"

Synonyms

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