hand

  • noun 1 the end part of the arm beyond the wrist. 2 before another noun operated by or held in the hand. 3 before another noun or in combination done or made manually. 4 a pointer on a clock or watch indicating the passing of units of time. 5 (hands) a person’s power or control: taking the law into their own hands. 6 an active role. 7 help in doing something. 8 a person engaging in manual labour. 9 informal a round of applause. the set of cards dealt to a player in a card game. a person’s handwriting or workmanship. a pledge of marriage by a woman. a unit of measurement of a horse’s height, equal to 4 inches (10.16 cm). denoting the breadth of a hand.

  • verb 1 give to. 2 hold the hand of, in order to assist.

  — PHRASES at hand near; readily accessible. by hand by a person and not a machine. get (or keep) one’s hand in become (or remain) practised in something. hand down 1 pass (something) on to a successor. 2 announce formally or publicly. hand in glove in close association. hand in hand closely associated; together. hand out distribute among a group. (from) hand to mouth satisfying only one’s immediate needs because of lack of money. hands down easily and decisively. hands-off not involving or requiring direct intervention. hands-on involving or offering active participation. have to hand it to someone informal used to acknowledge the merit or achievement of someone. in hand 1 in progress; requiring immediate attention. 2 ready for use if required. in safe hands protected by someone trustworthy. make (or lose or spend) money hand over fist informal make (or lose or spend) money very rapidly. many hands make light work proverb a task is soon accomplished if several people help. on hand 1 present and available. 2 needing to be dealt with. on someone’s hands 1 under the responsibility of the person specified. 2 at someone’s disposal. on the one (or the other) hand used to present factors for (and against). out of hand 1 not under control. 2 without taking time to think. to hand within easy reach. turn one’s hand to undertake (an activity different from one’s usual occupation). wait on someone hand and foot attend to someone’s needs or requests, especially when excessive.

  — ORIGIN Old English.

Perform another search of the Compact Oxford English Dictionary

About this dictionary
The Compact Oxford English Dictionary of Current English contains 145,000 words, phrases, and definitions.
Find out more about Oxford's range of English dictionaries
Sign up for the AskOxford Word of the Day

Search the Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
Search the Concise Dictionary of First Names