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• right hand
  right hand

  noun

  the hand that is on the right side, or the side opposite that where the heart is.
• right-hand
  right-hand

  adjective

  on the right.

right hand

¹ American  

noun

• right hands
  plural

1. the hand that is on the right side, or the side opposite that where the heart is.

2. the right side, as of a person, especially this side considered as the side of precedence or courtesy.

3. a position of honor or special trust.

4. an extremely efficient or reliable person or, sometimes, tool, especially a person considered as one's assistant.

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right-hand ² American  

[rahyt-hand] / ˈraɪtˈhænd /

adjective

1. on the right.

2. of, for, or with the right hand.

3. most reliable, valuable, or useful, as a helper or assistant.

4. plain-laid.

5. Building Trades. Also

   1. (of a door) having the hinges on the right when seen from the exterior of the building, room, closet, etc., to which the doorway leads.

   2. (of a casement sash) having the hinges on the right when seen from inside the window.

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right-hand British  

adjective

1. of, relating to, located on, or moving towards the right

   a right-hand bend

   this car has right-hand drive

2. for use by the right hand; right-handed

3. one's most valuable assistant or supporter

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• right hands
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of right hand¹

before 1000; Middle English; Old English

Origin of right-hand²

adj. use of right hand

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Explanation

Anything on the right-hand side is on the right. Just add hand if you don’t want people getting it confused with right as in “correct.” Also, your most reliable friend is your right-hand woman (or man). Your car's turn signal may be on the right-hand side of the steering wheel, and your dishwasher might be on the right-hand side of your kitchen sink. In both cases, right-hand describes something located toward the right, or in the direction of your right hand. A right-hand person, on the other hand, is someone you know you can depend on. In the musical "Hamilton," George Washington asks Alexander Hamilton to be his "right-hand man."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

right hand right-hand

Alongside the shoulder blade, archaeologists recovered a nearly complete right hand, two ribs from the left side, a fragment of a right rib, and seven teeth.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026

She’d turned to face me head-on, eyes widened in feigned shock, her right hand over her heart.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

By pure chance, the ball slipped into his right hand with the seams rotated in a slightly different way than he was used to.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

Kremlev’s right hand at the IBA, Elena Sobol, attended the wedding too.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

The fingers on her right hand were hard and waxy, unnervingly like those of the Red Deer corpse.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

In the fifth round, the champion landed a powerful right-hand punch that knocked Pantoja down.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

Around the same time, Kinahan’s right-hand man, Sean McGovern, was arrested in Dubai.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

Her reputation as Clark’s right-hand and enforcer spread along with the viral clip.

From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026

Secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, Infantino's right-hand man, had been critical in an internal memo to staff, calling the FFE proposals "a sad and reproachable series of events".

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Half of the right-hand field was fenced off for hay.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

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