noun
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the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb (syn: mitt, paw)he had the hands of a surgeon
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a hired laborer on a farm or ranchthe hired hand fixed the railing
a ranch hand
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something written by hand (syn: handwriting, script)she recognized his handwriting
his hand was illegible
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abilityhe wanted to try his hand at singing
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a position given by its location to the side of an objectobjections were voiced on every hand
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the cards held in a card game by a given player at any given time (syn: deal)I didn't hold a good hand all evening
he kept trying to see my hand
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one of two sides of an issueon the one hand..., but on the other hand...
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a rotating pointer on the face of a timepiecethe big hand counts the minutes
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a unit of length equal to 4 inches; used in measuring horsesthe horse stood 20 hands
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a member of the crew of a shipall hands on deck
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a card player in a game of bridgewe need a 4th hand for bridge
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a round of applause to signify approvalgive the little lady a great big hand
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terminal part of the forelimb in certain vertebrates (e.g. apes or kangaroos)the kangaroo's forearms seem undeveloped but the powerful five-fingered hands are skilled at feinting and clouting
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physical assistancegive me a hand with the chores
verb
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place into the hands or custody of (syn: give, pass, pass on, reach, turn over)hand me the spoon, please
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guide or conduct or usher somewherehand the elderly lady into the taxi
Extra examples
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?
He grasped the hot metal with his bare hands.
Her father was released from prison by the unbarring hand of death.
The land round his house was in his own hands.
The documents fell into enemy hands.
The condemned man's fate is in the governor's hands.
Give me a hand with the dishes.
Give me a hand with this ladder.
He would not lift a hand to help.
The mountains on either hand become loftier and steeper.
The foreman hired three new hands last week.
All hands on board perished.
Phrasal verbs
hand down
— passed on, as by inheritance
hand out
— give to several people
hand over
— to surrender someone or something to another
Word forms
verb
I/you/we/they: hand
he/she/it: hands
present participle: handing
past tense: handed
past participle: handed
noun
singular: hand
plural: hands