hands 1 of 2

noun

plural of hand
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

hands

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of hand
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

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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
Noun
That afternoon, the president, inside the exposition’s ornate Temple of Music, greeted members of the public, shaking hands and warmly inviting them to explore the fair. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026 Mendoza threw high to Jalen Nailor on his second play, and the ball popped into the air into the hands of San Francisco linebacker Tatum Bethune for an interception. — CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026 Little Havana’s iconic Tower Theater is back in the hands of Miami Dade College nearly four years after the City of Miami took control of the building. — Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026 The local population took matters into their own hands, storming and ransacking a migrant camp. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2026 Warsh says such commentary can tie the central bank's hands and also distort market signals about where the economy is going. — Scott Horsley, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026 And having a large population of skilled labor and people who build things and make things with their hands is tremendous for the United States. — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026 More than half of the attendees, including me, raised their hands. — Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026 Prosecutors said Asora had Hansen zip-tie MacNeil’s hands before Hansen was restrained. — Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
Verb
The consultant reasons by filling a notebook with calculations, then hands you a one-sentence answer, and keeps the notebook. — Adam Fish, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026 One day, a stranger hands you a tablet and asks you to identify the correct words in a passage or find information in a chart. — Jennifer D. Kobrin, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026 This effectively hands the Russian state control of the owner’s property, property rights and shares. — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026 Then the raccoon gets the gift of a lifetime when another fan hands him a full hot dog. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Catalyst mines a company's ticket history for recurring problems, checks what the connected systems' APIs allow and generates the code, workflows and permissions to automate them, then hands the result to an administrator for approval. — Victor Dey, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026 Instead of keeping the fortune, Lucky hands the seed phrase and the $10 million over to Billie. — Max Gao, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026 When Wayne hands her a gun to take care of Lucky, Priscilla points the weapon at the titular character before changing course and killing Wayne. — Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026 Even when Danny and Frank suggest that Catherine killed Alden’s mother for her fentanyl stash, Alden sticks by her — and, in the episode’s final moments, hands Danny a flash drive with tons of incriminating information on it. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hands
  1. control
  2. enjoyment
  3. provides
  4. passes
  5. leaves
  6. grasp
  7. possession
  8. supplies
Noun
  • Communities from Lansing, Michigan, to Pflugerville, Texas, are ending their relationship with Flock, largely over concerns regarding out-of-control surveillance, unwanted data sharing, high expenses, and reports of police abusing the tool.
    — Cyrus Farivar, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • According to the sheriff's office, Awais used his property-management companies and his relationships with association board members to exert control over the organizations' operations and finances.
    — Chelsea Jones, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of control
Noun
  • Don’t let the pressure of a specific end goal cloud your enjoyment of the ride.
    — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But the combat happens in short spurts, allowing a fair amount of downtime for recuperation, conversation and enjoyment of the sport.
    — Rebecca Leib, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of enjoyment
Verb
  • Verizon specifically provides a Satellite SOS demo for compatible Android phones.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The three-on-three league was co-founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier (Bazzell’s wife) and provides players with an equity stake in addition to their salaries.
    — Annie Costabile, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of provides
Verb
  • Senior quarterback Brady Cloherty threw a whopping seven TD passes after the Caravan (1-1) faced a 30-point hole in the second quarter.
    — Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The London musician’s forlorn and otherworldly new industrial track passes a sleepless night.
    — Marshall Gu, Pitchfork, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of passes
Verb
  • Xenex LightStrike Infections acquired inside hospitals remain a serious problem, especially when harmful germs survive on surfaces after a patient leaves a room.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Measles spreads through the air and can remain in a room for up to two hours after an infected person leaves.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of leaves
Noun
  • Even Cyrus’ freakishly long nails and eerie voice are derivative of other horror movie boogeymen, but without their grasp of the uncannily malevolent.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The tiny tubes are also the perfect size for a baby’s developing grasp.
    — BestReviews, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of grasp
Noun
  • Geneva rolled up 466 yards and crossed the goal line on six of its 10 possessions.
    — Jerry Birchfield, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The 10-play scoring drive was possible in part because of a 17-yard pass from Hyppolite to Ty Hayes on fourth and 5 that kept the possession alive and moved them into the red zone.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of possession
Verb
  • The lawsuit says the Colorado River supplies 90% of all water used in the Las Vegas Valley.
    — James Powel, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Ontario supplies electricity to several US states, including New York, Michigan and Minnesota.
    — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of supplies

Phrases Containing hands

Browse Nearby Words

hand running
hands
hands-down
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Cite this Entry

“Hands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hands. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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