handler
noun
a person or thing that handles.
Showing results for handler.
handler
American
[hand-ler]
/ ˈhænd lər /
noun
-
handlers
plural
-
a person or thing that handles.
-
Boxing. a person who assists in the training of a fighter or is the fighter's second during a fight.
-
a person who exhibits a dog in a bench show or field trial.
handler
1
British
/ ˈhændlə /
noun
-
a person, esp a police officer, in charge of a specially trained dog
-
a person who handles some specified thing
a baggage handler
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a person who holds or incites a dog, gamecock, etc, esp in a race or contest
-
the trainer or second of a boxer
Handler
2
British
/ ˈhændlə /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of handler
Explanation
A handler is someone whose job involves dealing with a particular object, like a baggage handler at the airport. When you're responsible for handling or taking care of something, whether it's food or insurance claims, you're a handler. Other kinds of handlers manage people or animals — a dog handler is a type of trainer, for example. And some political advisors are also known as handlers: "The President had his handlers answer all the reporters' questions."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Holt worked with Libyan intelligence assets in the 1980s and was the handler of double agent Abdul Majid Giaka, whose information became central to the investigation into the Lockerbie bombing.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Prosecutors alleged that Rogers dealt with a Chinese handler who, under the alias Hummin Lee, posed as an academic when he introduced himself at a conference in 2013.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
In her previous job as mail handler, she worried that her position was going to be eliminated or even outsourced to a robot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
When a dog alerts to something, rescuers send a second animal to confirm the finding, said Sylvia Arango, a canine handler since 1998 who manages Sisu.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026
The rezident of the Soviet embassy in Washington approached Victor Cherkashin, a veteran KGB officer and spy handler, as soon as Cherkashin stepped out of his car in the compound's secure parking lot.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
“Finally, active managers can participate and join the passive moneymakers,” Jefferies CEO Rich Handler said in a recent letter to clients.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
“Mattel has been saying for a while that entertainment at scale can be very profitable,” Roth analyst Eric Handler said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
He picked up a rosette for "Supreme Champion, Oldest Handler" for his efforts.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
According to Handler, ex-girlfriends of the controversial comedians slid into her DMs and told her what she said she already knew about them.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
The Times ’ Handler, beside me, was taking notes and muttering under his breath, “Incredible! Incredible!”
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
When I’m making out with Amita, there are legitimately two men — two puppet handlers — on the ground controlling a little possum that I can see.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
When it comes to snake handlers, you must prepare for tales that wriggle free of containment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Our call handlers received a considerable amount of information from members of the public and that assistance has been invaluable in helping us locate Jumaa.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
An operation codenamed "rat" found he had used a safehouse in Kyiv to communicate with Russian handlers seeking classified information about Ukraine's military and leadership, the SBU said.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
There were about twenty dog handlers all together.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
