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Synonyms of hand in English:
hand
See US English definition of hand
See UK English definition of hand
See Spanish definition of mano
noun
1‘big, strong hands’
SYNONYMS
fist, palm
informal paw, mitt, duke, hook, meat hook
Scottish, Northern English nieve
technical manus, metacarpus
ANTONYMS
foot
2‘the clock's second hand’
SYNONYMS
pointer, indicator, needle, arrow, marker, index
3hands‘the concentration of wealth in the hands of the entrepreneurial class’
SYNONYMS
control, power, charge, authority
command, responsibility, guardianship, management, care, supervision, jurisdiction
possession, keeping, custody, clutches, grasp
disposal
informal say-so
literary thrall
4‘come and give me a hand with the tidying up’
SYNONYMS
help, a helping hand, assistance, aid, support, succour, relief
a good turn, a favour, a kindness
rare abettance
ANTONYMS
hindrance
5‘his fans gave him a big hand’
SYNONYMS
round of applause, clap, handclap, ovation, standing ovation
applause, handclapping, praise, acclaim
ANTONYMS
booing, catcalls
6‘the document was written in his own hand’
SYNONYMS
handwriting, writing, script, longhand, letters, pen
penmanship, calligraphy, chirography
7‘a factory hand’
SYNONYMS
worker, factory worker, manual worker, unskilled worker, blue-collar worker, workman, workwoman, workperson, working man, labourer, operative, hired hand, hireling, roustabout, employee, artisan
farmhand, farm worker, field hand
crewman, sailor, deckhand
peon
Australian, New Zealand rouseabout
Indian mazdoor, khalasi
archaic mechanical
verb
1‘he handed each man a glass’
SYNONYMS
pass, give, reach, let someone have, throw, toss
pass to, hand over to, deliver to, present to, transfer to, convey to
informal chuck, bung
ANTONYMS
take away from
2‘he handed him into a carriage’
SYNONYMS
assist, help, aid, give someone a hand, give someone a helping hand, give someone assistance
guide, convey, conduct, lead
Phrases
- to hand
‘the bullies pelted us with anything that was to hand’
SYNONYMS
readily available, available, handy, near at hand, within reach, accessible, ready, close, close by, near, nearby, at the ready, at one's fingertips, at one's disposal, convenient
informal get-at-able
‘whether you are a novice gardener or an old hand’
SYNONYMS
expert, past master, virtuoso, master, wizard, genius, artist, adept, professional, doyen, veteran, maestro, connoisseur, authority, grandmaster, master hand, skilled person
informal ace, buff, pro, star, whizz, hotshot
British informal dab hand
North American informal maven, crackerjack
‘each chocolate is decorated by hand’
SYNONYMS
manually, with one's hands, using one's hands, not by machine, not mechanically, freehand
ANTONYMS
by machine
‘police and volunteers were on hand to keep things running smoothly’
SYNONYMS
ready, at the ready, available, accessible, handy, at one's fingertips
prepared, primed, on standby, standing by, on stand-to, on call, on full alert
informal on tap
‘the family jewellery is handed down from generation to generation’
SYNONYMS
pass on, pass down
bequeath, will, leave, leave in one's will, make over, endow, gift, transfer, give, transmit
Law demise, devise
‘we won hands down’
SYNONYMS
easily, effortlessly, with ease, with no trouble, with very little trouble, without effort, with very little effort
informal by a mile, no sweat
ANTONYMS
with difficulty
1‘the task in hand’
SYNONYMS
being dealt with, receiving attention, being attended to, under way
under control
2‘we have money in hand to cover next month's expenses’
SYNONYMS
available for use, ready, available, put by
spare, in reserve
1‘two small children were walking hand in hand’
SYNONYMS
holding hands, clasping hands, with hands clasped, with hands joined
arm in arm
2‘poverty goes hand in hand with war’
SYNONYMS
in close association, closely together, together, in partnership, closely, conjointly, concurrently, side by side, in concert
‘they were working hand in glove with our enemies’
SYNONYMS
in close collaboration, in close association, in close cooperation, very closely, closely together, in partnership, in league, in collusion
informal in cahoots
‘they live from hand to mouth—from one benefit day to the next’
SYNONYMS
precariously, from day to day, not knowing where one's next meal is coming from, uncertainly, insecurely, in poverty, meagrely
improvidently
British on the breadline
ANTONYMS
securely, without financial worries
‘their parents are incapable of taking their children in hand’
SYNONYMS
deal with, handle, manage, cope with, tackle, take care of, take charge of, attend to, give one's attention to, see to, sort out
‘the girls had a hand in writing the lyrics’
SYNONYMS
play a part in, contribute to, be a factor in, be responsible for, be partly responsible for
‘I haven't got my hands on a copy yet’
SYNONYMS
obtain, acquire, come by, secure, procure, come into possession of, pick up, be given
gain, derive, earn, achieve, attain, win, draw, reap
buy, purchase
informal get hold of, lay hold of, get one's mitts on, grab, bag, land, net
British informal blag
South African informal schlenter
‘the attendant handed out prayer books’
SYNONYMS
distribute, hand round, give out, give round, pass out, pass round, share out, dole out, dish out, deal out, mete out, issue, circulate, dispense
allocate, allot, apportion, disburse, disseminate
ANTONYMS
collect in
‘it is suggested that he might hand over power to his son’
SYNONYMS
yield, give, give up, pass, grant, entrust, surrender, relinquish, cede, turn over, deliver up, forfeit, sacrifice
confer on, bestow on
ANTONYMS
keep
1‘you need to keep the manual close at hand’
SYNONYMS
readily available, available, handy, to hand, near at hand, within reach, accessible, ready, close, close by, near, nearby, at the ready, at one's fingertips, at one's disposal, convenient
informal get-at-able, on tap
ANTONYMS
far away
2‘the time for starting the campaign is at hand’
SYNONYMS
imminent, close at hand, approaching, forthcoming, coming, coming soon, about to happen, nearly on us, just around the corner, on the horizon
impending
ANTONYMS
a long time away
‘the situation was getting out of hand’
SYNONYMS
out of control, uncontrollable, unmanageable, ungovernable, unruly, disorderly, rowdy, wild, boisterous, difficult, disruptive, ill-disciplined, undisciplined, refractory, recalcitrant, intractable, impossible, obstreperous, fractious, wayward, incorrigible
informal stroppy
archaic contumacious
ANTONYMS
manageable, controllable
‘the drugs were handed on to a dealer’
SYNONYMS
give, pass, hand, transfer, grant, cede, surrender, relinquish
part with, let go of
bequeath, will, leave
ANTONYMS
receive
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