: the terminal part of the vertebrateforelimb when modified (as in humans) as a grasping organ : the body part at the end of the arm of a human, ape, or monkey
holding a pair of scissors in his hand
She put her hands over her eyes.
(2)
: the forelimb segment (such as the terminal section of a bird's wing) of a vertebrate higher than the fishes that corresponds to the hand irrespective of its form or functional specialization
b
: something resembling a hand: such as
(1)
: an indicator or pointer on a dial
the hands of a clock
(2)
: a character β used to direct particular attention (as to a note or paragraph) : fist, index
(3)
: a cluster of bananas developed from a single flower group
(4)
: a branched rootstock of ginger
(5)
: a bunch of large leaves (as of tobacco) tied together usually with another leaf
c
: a part serving the function of or resembling a hand: such as
Noun
These gloves will keep your hands warm.
She put her hands over her eyes.
He sat quietly with his hands folded in his lap.
Do you need a hand? Verb
was happy to hand her grandmother's cookie recipes to the parish ladies to put in their cookbook
the clerk handed her the receipt
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Noun
This is apparently so intolerable to the American public of the 1950s that he is chased out of a radio station after airing his views, whiskey bottle in hand.βπ Image Alice Kaplan, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026 Young guests can also help gather eggs in the barnyard each morning and take part in kid-friendly activities like crafts and outdoor adventures alongside ranch hands.βπ Image Julie Bielenberg, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Verb
Although the decision orders a re-sentencing, there's a chance Peters will be handed the same sentence again.βπ Image Chierstin Roth, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026 Such a sequence occurred even sooner last Sunday against the Raptors, who trailed by six points midway through the first quarter before going on a 31-0 run to flip the contest in their favor and hand Orlando its largest loss in franchise history (52 points).βπ Image Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
Adverb
And putting money in peopleβs pockets goes hand-in-hand with social distancing policies, by defraying some of the costs of closing non-essential businesses, which in turn threatens the reliable paychecks of thousands of workers.βπ Image Ben Adler, The New Republic, 13 Apr. 2020 The two phenomena go hand-in-hand: The Arctic Oscillation is positive because the polar vortex is strong.βπ Image Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 19 Feb. 2020 See All Example Sentences for hand
Word History
Etymology
Noun, Verb, and Adverb
Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German hant hand
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)
: the terminal part of the vertebrate forelimb when modified (as in humans) as a grasping organ
(2)
: the forelimb segment (as the terminal section of a bird's wing) of a vertebrate higher than the fishes that corresponds to the hand irrespective of its form or functional specialization
b
: a part serving the function of or resembling a hand
especially: the hind foot of an ape
c
: something resembling a hand
especially: an indicator or pointer on a dial
2
: a unit of measure equal to 4 inches or 10.2 centimeters used especially for the height of horses
