hand over

verb

handed over; handing over; hands over
Synonyms of hand overnext

transitive verb

: to yield control of
handover
ˈhan-ˌdō-vər How to pronounce hand over (audio)
noun

Synonyms of hand over

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Examples of hand over in a Sentence

the police officer ordered the suspect to hand over his weapons in response to a desperate plea, we handed over all our extra blankets and pillows to the homeless shelter
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Under the road map, Hamas would hand over weapons to the Palestinian technocratic committee meant to oversee daily operations in the territory. — ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026 The valuable stash, believed to belong to the brewery's original owner from the late 1800s, was immediately handed over to police. — Kate Matthams, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026 In a hearing on Wednesday, a judge ruled that Iron Mountain must hand over any physical devices holding the data, Current reported today. — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2026 In July 2025, as word got around that the DOJ might hand over voter data to DHS, a half dozen career attorneys who had been reassigned into the voting section voiced their unease to supervisors, according to two former DOJ lawyers. — Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hand over

Word History

First Known Use

1652, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hand over was in 1652

Rhymes for hand over

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Browse Nearby Words

hand out
hand over
hand over fist
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Cite this Entry

“Hand over.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand%20over. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

hand over

verb
: to yield control of
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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