Meaning of hand in English

hand

noun

/hænd/ us

/hænd/

hand noun (BODY PART)

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A1 [ C ]

the part of the body at the end of the arm that is used for holding, moving, touching, and feeling things:

by hand All their toys are made by hand.

I delivered her invitation by hand (= not using the postal service).

get your hands off something informal Get your hands off (= stop touching) my bike!

good with your hands He can fix anything - he's so good with his hands.

hold someone’s hand You have to hold my hand when we cross the road.

hold hands They walked by, holding hands.

in your hand Hold your fork in your left hand and your knife in your right hand.

in hand She sat, pen in hand (= with a pen in her hand), searching for the right words.

keep your hands off someone They can't keep their hands off each other - they never stop kissing and cuddling.

shake someone's hand "Congratulations!" she said and shook my hand.

shake someone by the hand The politican shook every single rally attendee by the hand.

shake hands (with) The players from each side lined up and shook hands (with each other).

take someone by the hand She took me by the hand and led me into the cave.

hand towel Wash hand towels once a week.

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The baby gripped my finger with her tiny hand.
Hold the racquet in one hand and the ball in the other.
The school provides paper towels for the children to dry their hands on.
I've got my hands in my pockets to keep them warm.
The teacher asked us to form a circle and join hands.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

The hand

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hand noun (CLOCK/WATCH)

[ C ]

one of the long, thin pieces that point to the numbers on a clock or watch:

second hand Does anyone have a watch with a second hand?

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The minute hand is longer than the hour hand.
The hands and dial of the watch glow in the dark.
The hands on the clock showed the exact time at which the explosion occurred.
The watch movement regulates the speed at which the hands move.
The hands of the watch are attached to individual gear wheels that turn at specific speeds.

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Watches & clocks

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hand noun (CARDS)

[ C ]

a (single part of a) game of cards, or the set of cards that a player has in a game:

hand of Who wants to play a hand of poker?

deal a hand You dealt me an appalling hand in that game.

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Card games

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hand noun (ABILITY)

good/sure hands

If you have good hands, you have the ability to use your hands to do something well:

You want a fielder with good hands at shortstop.

You can trust a goalie who has sure hands to keep her team in the game.

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Skilled, talented and able

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hand noun (HELP)

B1 [ S ]

help with doing something that needs a lot of effort:

[ + -ing verb ] Would you like a hand carrying those bags?

give/lend someone a hand (with something) Could you give/lend me a hand (with the table), please?

need a hand with I think Matthew might need a hand with his maths homework.

use a hand with I could really use a hand with these accounts if you could spare a moment.

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

to help someone

helpCan I help you get that?
aidThe project is designed to aid poorer countries.
assistThe army arrived to assist in the search.
collaborateWe collaborated on the project.
cooperateSeveral countries are cooperating in the relief effort.
benefitThe children have benefited greatly from the new facilities.

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SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Helping and co-operating

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hand noun (PERSON)

[ C ]

a person who does physical work or is skilled or experienced in something:

How many extra hands will we need to help with the harvest?

factory hand I joined the firm as a factory hand and gradually worked my way up to the top.

See also

farmhand (WORKER)

[ C ]

a sailor:

All hands on deck!

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Types of employment

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People who work on boats & ships

hand noun (INVOLVEMENT)

[ S ]

involvement in or influence over an event:

have a hand in It is not thought that terrorists had a hand in the explosion.

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Taking part and getting involved

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Power to control

hand noun (CLAP)

[ S ]

clapping for a performer:

give a big hand to So please give a big hand to (= welcome with clapping) your host for the evening, Bill Cronshaw!

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Praising and applauding

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hand noun (WRITING)

[ S ] old use

a person's writing:

an uneven hand

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Writing & typing

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hand noun (MEASUREMENT)

[ C ]

a unit for measuring the height of a horse up to its shoulder:

One hand equals four inches (= 10.16 centimetres).

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Horse riding

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Miscellaneous units of measurement

Idioms

at hand
at the hands of someone
a game in hand
get/lay/put your hands on someone
get/lay/put your hands on something
go hand in hand with something
hand in glove
hand in hand
hand over fist
hand to hand

More idioms

someone's hands are tied
have your hands full
have something in hand
have something on your hands
hold/put your hands up
in hand
the job/matter in hand
keep your hand in
keep a firm hand on something
live (from) hand to mouth
on hand
on the one hand ... on the other hand
out of hand
play into someone's hands
put your hand in your pocket
a safe pair of hands
take someone/something in hand
win (something) hands down

hand

verb [ T ]

/hænd/ us

/hænd/

to put something into someone's hand from your own hand:

[ + two objects ] The waiter smiled politely as he handed me my bill/handed my bill to me.

hand something on (to someone) Please read this memo carefully and hand it on (to your colleagues).

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

to give something to someone

giveGive me that dirty plate.
offerYour doctor should be able to offer advice.
provideThis booklet provides useful information about local services.
supplyThe lake supplies the whole town with water.
donateFour hundred dollars has been donated to the school book fund.

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in sports such as football or ice hockey, to catch or hit the ball or puck with the hand, in a way that is against the rules:

The player was penalized for handing the ball.

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When you've finished your work sheets, clip them together and hand them to me.
She handed me a business card with her name neatly embossed on it.
The waiter handed me the menu with a flourish.
She handed me a tissue just as I sneezed.
Please would you hand me my coat?

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Giving, providing and supplying

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Hitting and beating

Football/soccer

Hockey

Idiom

have (got) to hand it to someone

Phrasal verbs

hand something around
hand something back
hand something down
hand something in
hand off
hand someone off
hand something off
hand something out
hand something over
hand something/someone over

More phrasal verbs

hand something round

(Definition of hand from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

hand | American Dictionary

hand

noun

/hænd/

hand noun (BODY PART)

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[ C ]

the part of the body at the end of the arm that includes the fingers and is used for holding, moving, touching, and feeling things:

Keep both hands on the steering wheel.

When eating, most Americans hold the fork in their right hand.

He took my hand (= held it with his hand) as we walked along.

hand noun (CLOCK)

[ C ]

one of the two long narrow parts on a clock or watch that move to show the time:

the hour/minute hand

hand noun (CARDS)

[ C ]

the set of cards that a player is given in a game:

a winning/losing hand

hand noun (HELP)

[ C usually sing ]

help with doing something:

Can I give you a hand with those bags?

hand noun (WORKER)

[ C ]

a person who does physical work, esp. as one of a team or group:

a farm hand

hand noun (CLAPPING)

[ C usually sing ]

a period of clapping to show enjoyment of a performance:

Let’s give this band a big hand.

Idioms

at hand
at the hands of someone
by hand
give someone a hand
hand in hand
hands down
hands off (something)
in good hands
in hand
in the hands of someone

More idioms

on hand

hand

verb [ T ]

/hænd/

hand verb [T] (PUT INTO HAND)

to put something from your hand into someone else’s hand:

Would you please hand me a pencil?

Phrasal verbs

hand back something
hand down something
hand down something 
hand in something
hand out something
hand over something/someone

(Definition of hand from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

hand | Business English

hand

noun

/hænd/ us

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[ C ] WORKPLACE

someone employed to do physical work:

a factory/farm hand

hand in hand

always happening or being done together:

go hand in hand (with sth) Taking too much risk often goes hand in hand with another big mistake - putting all your money into one project.

working closely with someone:

I see myself working hand in hand with him on this.

at hand

available:

Help is at hand for owners of small and growing businesses.

being worked on or dealt with at the present time:

He would use his team members' particular experiences and talents to help him attack the problem at hand.

by hand

made or done using your hands rather than a machine:

She entered the information into a computer by hand.

delivered by a person, rather than sent in the mail:

It had been delivered by hand and there was no post mark.

See also

handmade

get your hands on sb/sth

informal

to find or get someone or something you want:

She would have to wait days for funds to clear before she could get her hands on the money.

good with your hands

able to make or do things well with your hands:

Martin was good with his hands and worked for a time repairing piers at a marina.

in hand

already available or being done:

Plans for the restructuring are already in hand.

in the hands of sb

being dealt with or looked after by a particular person or group of people:

leave/put sth in the hands of sb The document is important because it puts the decisions in the hands of management.

controlled or owned by a particular person or group of people:

be/lie/rest in the hands of sb The company's future is firmly in the hands of its creditors.

The post office in this country is still in the hands of the state.

on hand

available and ready to help or be used if necessary:

They said he had $7.5 million cash on hand.

be on hand to do sth A team of experts is on hand to answer individual problems or questions.

out of your hands

no longer able to be controlled by you, or no longer your responsibility:

The decision over his future had been taken out of his hands by management.

put your hand in your pocket UK

to give money to someone or to a charity:

People are more likely to put their hands in their pockets if they know it's for a good cause.

the job/matter in hand

the job or subject that is important at the present time:

He is a consummate professional, very focused on the job in hand.

to hand UK

near and able to be used:

Rosco always kept large amounts of cash to hand.

Examples of hand

hand

In both written and unwritten traditions, a complex of thoughts and approaches to music are handed down from teacher to student.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Hold these points and then change the hands and repeat the process.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Voting was normally by show o f hands.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

A total of 1,490 sentences were handed down, including 504 for imprisonment or detention in a reform school.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

As he handed it to the new marine, he would drop it on the ground.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

One way of thinking about human existence through time, then, is to say that we are constantly handing down a set of possibilities to ourselves.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Everything in the picture seems to work out from and back to her hands.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Red may like many hands, perhaps varying greatly in size and content.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

People cannot kick with their hands or eyes or anything else in the normal sense.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Their fortunes were in the hands of strangers and of circumstance.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

I had just given grand rounds at the medical school when my colleague handed me a pink message slip.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Is treatment of incurable disease placed in the hands of other countries?

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Her hands were cold and mottled, her lips were blue, her face was pale, and her respirations were agonal.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Humans remove meat from bodies with their hands, in the process covering them with blood.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

They stand there as if they had never been built by human hands.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

See all examples of hand

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.