HAND

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does hand mean? 

• HAND (noun)
  The noun HAND has 14 senses:

1. the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

2. a hired laborer on a farm or ranch

3. something written by hand

4. ability

5. a position given by its location to the side of an object

6. the cards held in a card game by a given player at any given time

7. one of two sides of an issue

8. a rotating pointer on the face of a timepiece

9. a unit of length equal to 4 inches; used in measuring horses

10. a member of the crew of a ship

11. a card player in a game of bridge

12. a round of applause to signify approval

13. terminal part of the forelimb in certain vertebrates (e.g. apes or kangaroos)

14. physical assistance

  Familiarity information: HAND used as a noun is familiar.

• HAND (verb)
  The verb HAND has 2 senses:

1. place into the hands or custody of

2. guide or conduct or usher somewhere

  Familiarity information: HAND used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HAND (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

hand; manus; mitt; paw

Context example:

he extended his mitt

Hypernyms ("hand" is a kind of...):

extremity (that part of a limb that is farthest from the torso)

Meronyms (parts of "hand"):

metacarpal vein; vena metacarpus (dorsal and palmar veins of the hand)

intercapitular vein; vena intercapitalis (veins connecting the dorsal and palmar veins of the hand or the dorsal and plantar veins of the foot)

arteria metacarpea; metacarpal artery (dorsal and palmar arteries of the hand)

palm; thenar (the inner surface of the hand from the wrist to the base of the fingers)

finger (any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb))

arteria digitalis; digital arteries (arteries in the hand and foot that supply the fingers and toes)

ball (a more or less rounded anatomical body or mass)

metacarpus (the part of the hand between the carpus and phalanges)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "hand"):

clenched fist; fist (a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting))

hooks; maulers; meat hooks (large strong hand (as of a fighter))

right; right hand (the hand that is on the right side of the body)

left; left hand (the hand that is on the left side of the body)

Holonyms ("hand" is a part of...):

homo; human; human being; man (any living or extinct member of the family Hominidae characterized by superior intelligence, articulate speech, and erect carriage)

arm (a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb)

Derivation:

hand (place into the hands or custody of)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A hired laborer on a farm or ranch

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

hand; hired hand; hired man

Context example:

a ranch hand

Hypernyms ("hand" is a kind of...):

jack; laborer; labourer; manual laborer (someone who works with their hands; someone engaged in manual labor)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "hand"):

farm worker; farmhand; field hand; fieldhand (a hired hand on a farm)

drover; herder; herdsman (someone who drives a herd)

ranch hand (a hired hand on a ranch)

groom; hostler; ostler; stableboy; stableman (someone employed in a stable to take care of the horses)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Something written by hand

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

hand; handwriting; script

Context example:

his hand was illegible

Hypernyms ("hand" is a kind of...):

writing (letters or symbols that are written or imprinted on a surface to represent the sounds or words of a language)

Domain category:

handwriting (the activity of writing by hand)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "hand"):

shorthand; stenography; tachygraphy (a method of writing rapidly using an abbreviated symbolic system)

cursive; cursive script; longhand; running hand (rapid handwriting in which letters are set down in full and are cursively connected within words without lifting the writing implement from the paper)

calligraphy; chirography; penmanship (beautiful handwriting)

cacography; scratch; scrawl; scribble (poor handwriting)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Ability

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Context example:

he wanted to try his hand at singing

Hypernyms ("hand" is a kind of...):

ability; power (possession of the qualities (especially mental qualities) required to do something or get something done)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A position given by its location to the side of an object

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Context example:

objections were voiced on every hand

Hypernyms ("hand" is a kind of...):

side (a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location)

Sense 6

Meaning:

The cards held in a card game by a given player at any given time

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

deal; hand

Context example:

he kept trying to see my hand

Hypernyms ("hand" is a kind of...):

accumulation; aggregation; assemblage; collection (several things grouped together or considered as a whole)

Meronyms (parts of "hand"):

long suit (in a hand, the suit having the most cards)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "hand"):

poker hand (the 5 cards held in a game of poker)

bridge hand (the cards held in a game of bridge)

Sense 7

Meaning:

One of two sides of an issue

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Context example:

on the one hand..., but on the other hand...

Hypernyms ("hand" is a kind of...):

side (an aspect of something (as contrasted with some other implied aspect))

Sense 8

Meaning:

A rotating pointer on the face of a timepiece

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

the big hand counts the minutes

Hypernyms ("hand" is a kind of...):

pointer (an indicator as on a dial)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "hand"):

big hand; minute hand (points to the minutes)

second hand (hand marking seconds on a timepiece)

hour hand; little hand (the shorter hand of a clock that points to the hours)

Holonyms ("hand" is a part of...):

horologe; timekeeper; timepiece (a measuring instrument or device for keeping time)

Sense 9

Meaning:

A unit of length equal to 4 inches; used in measuring horses

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Context example:

the horse stood 20 hands

Hypernyms ("hand" is a kind of...):

handbreadth; handsbreadth (any unit of length based on the breadth of the human hand)

Sense 10

Meaning:

A member of the crew of a ship

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Context example:

all hands on deck

Hypernyms ("hand" is a kind of...):

crewman; sailor (any member of a ship's crew)

Sense 11

Meaning:

A card player in a game of bridge

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

bridge player; hand

Context example:

we need a 4th hand for bridge

Hypernyms ("hand" is a kind of...):

card player (someone who plays (or knows how to play) card games)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "hand"):

bidder (someone who makes a bid at cards)

bridge partner (one of a pair of bridge players who are on the same side of the game)

contractor; declarer (the bridge player in contract bridge who wins the bidding and can declare which suit is to be trumps)

Sense 12

Meaning:

A round of applause to signify approval

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

give the little lady a great big hand

Hypernyms ("hand" is a kind of...):

applause; clapping; hand clapping (a demonstration of approval by clapping the hands together)

Sense 13

Meaning:

Terminal part of the forelimb in certain vertebrates (e.g. apes or kangaroos)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Context example:

the kangaroo's forearms seem undeveloped but the powerful five-fingered hands are skilled at feinting and clouting

Hypernyms ("hand" is a kind of...):

forepaw (front paw; analogous to the human hand)

Sense 14

Meaning:

Physical assistance

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

hand; helping hand

Context example:

give me a hand with the chores

Hypernyms ("hand" is a kind of...):

aid; assist; assistance; help (the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose)

Derivation:

hand (guide or conduct or usher somewhere)

• HAND (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Place into the hands or custody of

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

give; hand; pass; pass on; reach; turn over

Context example:

He turned over the prisoner to his lawyers

Hypernyms (to "hand" is one way to...):

transfer (cause to change ownership)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "hand"):

give (leave with; give temporarily)

slip; sneak (pass on stealthily)

deal (give (a specific card) to a player)

deliver; fork out; fork over; fork up; hand over; render; turn in (to surrender someone or something to another)

free; give up; release; relinquish; resign (part with a possession or right)

commit; confide; entrust; intrust; trust (confer a trust upon)

entrust; leave (put into the care or protection of someone)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody something
Somebody ----s something to somebody

Sentence examples:

They hand the food to the people
They hand the people the food

Also:

hand down (passed on, as by inheritance)

hand out (give to several people)

hand over (to surrender someone or something to another)

Derivation:

hand (the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Guide or conduct or usher somewhere

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

hand the elderly lady into the taxi

Hypernyms (to "hand" is one way to...):

conduct; direct; guide; lead; take (take somebody somewhere)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

hand (physical assistance)

 Context examples 

More than once, as tufts of grass came out in my hand or my foot slipped in the wet notches of the rock, I thought that I was gone.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

For a minute or more the hand, with its writhing fingers, protruded out of the floor.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

With the other mittened hand he rubbed his cheeks and nose.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

The girl has sworn that as he spoke she noticed the corner of the little paper packet protruding from his closed hand.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

On the other hand, if you have wanted to leave a long-term relationship, you will find the courage to do so, or else the eclipse will eventually decide for you.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

They had made a chair of their hands and were careful not to hurt her.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

The women he had known did not shake hands that way.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

I viewed the town on my left hand, which looked like the painted scene of a city in a theatre.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

My mother put her hands upon my lips to stop me.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

The kidnapper undid the bloody wrappings and looked at his lacerated hand.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)