Adjacent Words

Handle definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

HAND'LE, v.t. [L. manus.]
1. To touch; to feel with the hand; to use or hold with the hand.
The bodies we daily handle--hinder the approach of the part of our hands that press them.
2. To manage; to use; to wield.
That fellow handles a bow like a crow-keeper.
3. To make familiar by frequent touching.
The breeders in Flanders--handle their colts six months every year.
4. To treat; to discourse on; to discuss; to use or manage in writing or speaking. The author handled the subject with address. The speaker handled the arguments to the best advantage.
5. To use; to deal with; to practice.
They that handle the law knew me not. Jeremiah 2.
6. To treat; to use well or ill.
How wert thou handled?
7. To manage; to practice on; to transact with.
You shall see how I will handle her.
HAND'LE, n. [L. ansa.]
1. That part of a vessel or instrument which is held in the hand when used, as the haft of a sword,the bail of a kettle, etc.
2. That of which use is made; the instrument of effecting a purpose.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
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" [syn: handle, grip, handgrip, hold] v
1: be in charge of, act on, or dispose of; "I can deal with this crew of workers"; "This blender can't handle nuts"; "She managed her parents' affairs after they got too old" [syn: manage, deal, care, handle]
2: interact in a certain way; "Do right by her"; "Treat him with caution, please"; "Handle the press reporters gently" [syn: treat, handle, do by]
3: act on 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" [syn: cover, treat, handle, plow, deal, address]
4: touch, lift, or hold with the hands; "Don't handle the merchandise" [syn: handle, palm]
5: handle effectively; "The burglar wielded an axe"; "The young violinist didn't manage her bow very well" [syn: wield, handle, manage]
6: show and train; "The prize-winning poodle was handled by Mrs. Priscilla Prescott"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English handel, from Old English handle; akin to Old English hand Date: before 12th century 1. a part that is designed especially to be grasped by the hand 2. something that resembles a handle 3. a. title 8 b. name; also nickname 4. hand 11c 5. the total amount of money bet on a race, game, or event 6. a means of understanding or controlling <can't quite get a handle on things> • handled adjective • handleless adjective II. verb (handled; handling) Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. a. to try or examine (as by touching, feeling, or moving) with the hand <handle silk to judge its weight> b. to manage with the hands <handle a horse> 2. a. to deal with in writing or speaking or in the plastic arts b. to have overall responsibility for supervising or directing ; manage <a lawyer handles all my affairs> c. to train and act as second for (a boxer) d. to put up with ; stand <can't handle the heat> 3. to act on or perform a required function with regard to <handle the day's mail> 4. to engage in the buying, selling, or distributing of (a commodity) intransitive verb to act, behave, or respond in a certain way when handled or directed <a car that handles well> • handleable adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 the part by which a thing is held, carried, or controlled. 2 a fact that may be taken advantage of (gave a handle to his critics). 3 colloq. a personal title. 4 the feel of goods, esp. textiles, when handled. --v.tr. 1 touch, feel, operate, or move with the hands. 2 manage or deal with; treat in a particular or correct way (knows how to handle people; unable to handle the situation). 3 deal in (goods). 4 discuss or write about (a subject). Phrases and idioms: get a handle on colloq. understand the basis of or reason for a situation, circumstance, etc. Derivatives: handleable adj. handleability n. handled adj. (also in comb.). Etymology: OE handle, handlian (as HAND)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Handle Han"dle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Handled; p. pr. & vb. n. Handling .] [OE. handlen, AS. handian; akin to D. handelen to trade, G. handeln. See Hand.] 1. To touch; to feel with the hand; to use or hold with the hand. Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh. --Luke xxiv. 39. About his altar, handling holy things. --Milton. 2. To manage in using, as a spade or a musket; to wield; often, to manage skillfully. That fellow handles his bow like a crowkeeper. --Shak. 3. To accustom to the hand; to work upon, or take care of, with the hands. The hardness of the winters forces the breeders to house and handle their colts six months every year. --Sir W. Temple. 4. To receive and transfer; to have pass through one's hands; hence, to buy and sell; as, a merchant handles a variety of goods, or a large stock. 5. To deal with; to make a business of. They that handle the law knew me not. --Jer. ii. 8. 6. To treat; to use, well or ill. How wert thou handled being prisoner. --Shak. 7. To manage; to control; to practice skill upon. You shall see how I will handle her. --Shak. 8. To use or manage in writing or speaking; to treat, as a theme, an argument, or an objection. We will handle what persons are apt to envy others. --Bacon. To handle without gloves. See under Glove. [Colloq.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Handle Han"dle, v. i. To use the hands. They have hands, but they handle not. --Ps. cxv. 7.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Handle Han"dle, n. [AS. handle. See Hand.] 1. That part of vessels, instruments, etc., which is held in the hand when used or moved, as the haft of a sword, the knob of a door, the bail of a kettle, etc. 2. That of which use is made; the instrument for effecting a purpose; a tool. --South. To give a handle, to furnish an occasion or means.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(handles, handling, handled) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. A handle is a small round object or a lever that is attached to a door and is used for opening and closing it. I turned the handle and found the door was open. N-COUNT 2. A handle is the part of an object such as a tool, bag, or cup that you hold in order to be able to pick up and use the object. The handle of a cricket bat protruded from under his arm. ...a broom handle. N-COUNT 3. If you say that someone can handle a problem or situation, you mean that they have the ability to deal with it successfully. To tell the truth, I don't know if I can handle the job... VERB: V n 4. If you talk about the way that someone handles a problem or situation, you mention whether or not they are successful in achieving the result they want. I think I would handle a meeting with Mr. Siegel very badly... VERB: V n adv • handling The family has criticized the military's handling of Robert's death. N-UNCOUNT: usu N of n 5. If you handle a particular area of work, you have responsibility for it. She handled travel arrangements for the press corps during the presidential campaign... VERB: V n 6. When you handle something such as a weapon, vehicle, or animal, you use it or control it, especially by using your hands. I had never handled an automatic. VERB: V n 7. If something such as a vehicle handles well, it is easy to use or control. His ship had handled like a dream! VERB: V adv/prep 8. When you handle something, you hold it or move it with your hands. Wear rubber gloves when handling cat litter. VERB: V n 9. If you have a handle on a subject or problem, you have a way of approaching it that helps you to understand it or deal with it. (INFORMAL) When you have got a handle on your anxiety you can begin to control it. N-SING: a N on n 10. If you fly off the handle, you suddenly and completely lose your temper. (INFORMAL) He flew off the handle at the slightest thing. PHRASE: V inflects

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

han'-d'-l (kaph): The noun occurs once in So 5:5, "handles of the bolt" (the King James Version "lock"). The verb "handle" represents several Hebrew ('achaz, mashakh, taphas, etc.) and Greek (thiggano, Col 2:21; pselaphao, Lu 24:39; 1 Joh 1:1) words in the King James Version, but is also sometimes substituted in the Revised Version (British and American) for other renderings in the King James Version, as in So 3:8 for "hold"; in Lu 20:11, "handled shamefully," for "entreated shamefully"; in 2Ti 2:15, "handling aright," for "rightly dividing," etc.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Touch, feel, feel of, take in the hand, take hold of. 2. Manage, use, wield. 3. Treat, discuss, discourse on, treat of. 4. Deal with, manage. II. n. 1. Haft, stock, helve. 2. Bail.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

To know how to handle one's fists; to be skilful in the art of boxing. The cove flashes a rare handle to his physog; the fellow has a large nose.

Moby Thesaurus

accomplish, act toward, administer, aim, air, alibi, analyze, apology, appellation, appellative, apply, be in, be responsible for, bed, bed down, behave toward, bestow, bilge, binomen, binomial name, blain, bleb, blind, blister, blob, boss, bow, brandish, break, bridle, brush, bubble, bulb, bulge, bulla, bump, bunch, burl, button, buy and sell, byname, byword, cahot, call the signals, canvass, captain, care for, caress, carry, carry on, carry out, carry through, chart a course, chine, cloak, clump, cognomen, color, come in contact, command, comment upon, complete, cond, conduct, condyle, conn, consider, contend with, control, controvert, convex, cope with, cover, cover story, cover-up, coxswain, criticize, cryptonym, curry, currycomb, deal by, deal in, deal with, debate, deliberate, deliberate upon, denomination, descant, designation, device, direct, discharge, discourse, discourse about, discuss, dispatch, dispense, dispose of, dissert, dissertate, do by, do with, dominate, dowel, drench, drive, ear, employ, empty title, enact, engineer, epithet, eponym, euonym, examine, exchange views, excuse, execute, exercise, exert, exploit, facade, feed, feel, feel of, feint, finger, flange, flap, flick, flourish, fodder, fondle, front, gall, gentle, gloss, gnarl, go into, govern, grasp, grip, groom, guide, guise, haft, harness, have the conn, head, head up, helm, helve, hill, hilt, hitch, hold, honor, honorific, hump, hunch, hyponym, inquire into, investigate, job, jog, joggle, knob, knock around, knot, knur, knurl, label, lame excuse, lay, lead, lead on, level, lip, litter, locus standi, loop, lump, make, make go, make the rules, make use of, manage, maneuver, manipulate, market, mask, mastermind, merchandise, milk, mole, moniker, mountain, name, namesake, navigate, nevus, nomen, nomen nudum, nub, nubbin, nubble, officer, operate, order, ostensible motive, oversee, palm, palpate, papilloma, pass under review, pat, paw, peg, perform, perform on, pilot, play, ply, point, poke at, poor excuse, practice, prescribe, pretense, pretension, pretext, prod, proper name, proper noun, protestation, public motive, pull the strings, put-off, quarterback, rap, reason, reason about, reason the point, refuge, regulate, remark upon, respond to, retail, review, rib, ridge, ring, rub down, run, saddle, scientific name, screen, secret name, see to, sell, semblance, serve, shake, sham, shape a course, shoulder, show, sift, skipper, smoke screen, sobriquet, spine, stalking-horse, steer, steward, stratagem, stud, study, style, subterfuge, supervise, survey, swing, tab, tackle, tag, take, take care of, take command, take the lead, take up, talk, talk about, talk of, talk over, tame, tap, tautonym, tend, test, thresh out, thumb, title, touch, touch upon, trade in, traffic in, train, transact, treat, treat of, trick, trinomen, trinomial name, try, tubercle, tubercule, twiddle, use, utilize, varnish, veil, ventilate, verruca, vesicle, wale, wart, water, wave, welt, wholesale, wield, work, write up, yoke