Link Centre Dictionary

handle

UK/ˈhæn.d(ə)l/ US/ˈheə̯n.d(ə)l/ very common informal slang uk us
verb (6) noun (1)

verb

1.

be in charge of, act on, or dispose of

  • “I can deal with this crew of workers”
  • “This blender can”
  • “;”
  • “affairs after they got too old”
Synonyms
2.

interact in a certain way

  • “Do right by her”
  • “Treat him with caution, please”
  • “Handle the press reporters gently”
Synonyms
3.

deal with verbally or in some form of artistic expression

  • “This book deals with incest”
  • “The course covered all of Western Civilization”
  • “The new book treats the history of China”
Synonyms
4.

touch, lift, or hold with the hands

  • “Don”
Synonyms
5.

handle effectively

  • “The burglar wielded an axe”
Synonyms
6.

show and train

  • “The prize-winning poodle was handled by Mrs. Priscilla Prescott”

noun

1.

the appendage to an object that is designed to be held in order to use or move it

  • “he grabbed the hammer by the handle”
  • “it was an old briefcase but it still had a good grip”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English handlen, from Old English handlian (“to handle, feel, deal with, discuss”), from Proto-West Germanic *handulōn, from Proto-Germanic *handulōną (“to take, grip, feel”), equivalent to hand + -le. Cognate with West Frisian handelje, hanneljen, hanljen (“to handle, treat”), Dutch handelen (“to handle, deal, act, negotiate”), German handeln (“to act, trade, negotiate, behave”), Swedish handla (“to buy, trade, deal”), Icelandic höndla (“to handle”).

Phrases

  • coffin handle
  • crank the handle
  • cross handle
  • dead man's handle
  • door handle
  • drag handle
  • file handle
  • fly off the handle
  • handle oneself
  • handle up
  • handle with kid gloves
  • handle without gloves

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

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Parts

Part of

Related verbs

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.