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hand

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noun

/hænd/

singular	hand
plural	hands

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1
[countable] the part of your body at the end of each arm that you use for picking up and holding things
Mrs. Bennet put her hands over her ears to shut out the noise.
have/hold something in your hand:
He was holding a cup of coffee in his left hand.
hold someone's hand:
He sat by the bed and held her hand.
take someone by the hand:
George took her by the hand and helped her out of the car.
hold hands (=hold each other's hands):
The park was full of young couples holding hands.
hand in hand (=holding each other's hand):
They walked along the cliff top hand in hand.
shake hands:
The two men introduced themselves and shook hands.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
2
[singular] help
give someone a hand (=help someone):
Can you give me a hand with these boxes?
like/want/need a hand:
Do you need a hand with the dusting?
lend a hand (=help):
Lydia said she would lend a hand (=help) with the costumes.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
3
[singular] if people give someone a hand, they clap their hands to show that they have enjoyed a performance
a big hand for someone:
A big hand for the band, ladies and gentlemen!
give someone a big hand:
Let's give the children a big hand.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
4
[countable] the hands on a clock are the long parts that move around and show the time
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
5
[countable] the particular set of cards that have been given to you in a game of cards
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
6
[singular] informal the advantages you have that give you a chance to be successful in a particular situation
play your hand (=use your advantages):
Everything depends on how the company plays its hand.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
See also show¹
7
[countable] someone who does physical work
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
1. a.
  someone who works on a farm
  It was a large farm, with over 20 hired hands.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
2. b.
  someone who works on a ship
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
8
[countable] mainly literary someone's handwriting
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
9
[countable] a unit for measuring how tall a horse is
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand

phrases

at hand
very close to you and easy to reach
Help is always at hand if you need it.
close/near at hand:
I always keep my calculator close at hand.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
at the hands of someone
if you suffer or die at the hands of someone, they make you suffer or die
They suffered defeat at the hands of the French.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
by hand
1. 1
  using your hands rather than a machine
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
2. 2
  if a letter is delivered by hand, it is not delivered by the mail service
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
first/second/third hand
if you experience something first hand, you experience it yourself. If you experience something second hand or third hand, someone else tells you about it.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
get/lay your hands on something
to manage to obtain something
I couldn't lay my hands on a copy of the book.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
go hand in hand
to happen or exist together
Economic success and job creation go hand in hand.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
hand in glove
if you work hand in glove with someone, you work very closely with them
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
someone's hand in marriage
old-fashioned
permission to marry a particular woman
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
hand over fist
informal
if you make or spend money hand over fist, you earn or spend it in very large amounts
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
someone's hands are tied
someone cannot do what they want to do because something such as a rule or law prevents it
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
hands off
spoken
used for telling someone not to touch or take someone or something
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
hands up
spoken
1. 1
  used for asking people to tell you if they know the answer to a question
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
2. 2
  used when pointing a gun at someone for telling them to raise both their hands
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
3. 3
  used for asking people to tell you if they want something
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
have a hand in something
to help to make something happen
He scored a goal, and had a hand in two other goals.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
have someone/something on your hands
to have a person or a problem that you must deal with
It looks as though we're going to have a lawsuit on our hands.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
have time on your hands
to have more time available than you need
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
have your hands full
to be extremely busy with a difficult job
The police had their hands full with other problems.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
in hand
1. 1
  if something is in hand, you are already dealing with it
  Work is in hand on identifying information needs.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
2. 2
  if you have something in hand, you are managing it well so that it happens in the way that it should
  At half time, they had the game well in hand.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
3. 3
  British if a player or team has a game in hand, they have played one game less than an opponent
  They have a four-point advantage but we have two games in hand.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
in someone's hands
if something is in someone's hands, they are responsible for it
The company is now in the hands of the bank.
in good/safe hands:
I knew that the dog was in safe hands with my parents.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
keep your hand in
to do something that you used to do regularly, so that you do not lose the ability to do it well
I want to keep my hand in by doing a bit of coaching.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
keep your hands off
informal
to not touch someone or something
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
off hand
if you do not know something off hand, you cannot remember the information but you could find it out
I can't remember off hand but I can soon tell you.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
on the one hand...on the other hand
used for giving two different opinions about something
Many of these garden pests cause little real damage. On the other hand, aphids can infect raspberries with incurable diseases.
On the one hand, expansion would be good, but on the other hand it would be sad to lose the family atmosphere.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
on (your) hands and knees
on the floor, with your hands and your lower legs on the ground
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
out of hand
not well controlled
get out of hand:
We decided to leave before things got out of hand.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
out of your hands
if something is out of your hands, someone else is now in charge of it
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
take/get your hands off
informal
to stop touching someone or something
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
take someone in hand
to start controlling someone who has been behaving badly
If anyone caused any trouble, the local policeman took them in hand.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
to hand
British
near where you are and therefore available to use
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand
turn your hand to something
to start doing something new, especially something that involves skill
The former model has now turned her hand to acting.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of hand

cyberloafing

using the Internet where you work, during working hours, for activities which are not work-related

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hand

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phrases

at hand

at the hands of someone

by hand

first/second/third hand

get/lay your hands on something

go hand in hand

hand in glove

someone's hand in marriage

hand over fist

someone's hands are tied

hands off

hands up

have a hand in something

have someone/something on your hands

have time on your hands

have your hands full

in hand

in someone's hands

keep your hand in

keep your hands off

off hand

on the one hand...on the other hand

on (your) hands and knees

out of hand

out of your hands

take/get your hands off

take someone in hand

to hand

turn your hand to something

cyberloafing

Word of the Day

neutron

show a bit of ankle