handle

American  

[han-dl] / ˈhæn dl /

noun

handles plural

1. a part of a thing made specifically to be grasped or held by the hand.

2. that which may be held, seized, grasped, or taken advantage of in effecting a purpose.

   The clue was a handle for solving the mystery.

3. Slang.

   1. a person's name, especially the given name.

   2. a person's alias, nickname, or code name.

   3. a username, as on a social media website.

      What's your Twitter handle?

   4. a name or term by which something is known, described, or explained.

4. the total amount wagered on an event, series of events, or for an entire season or seasons, as at a gambling casino or in horse racing.

   The track handle for the day was over a million dollars.

5. the total amount of money taken in by a business concern on one transaction, sale, event, or series of transactions, or during a specific period, especially by a theater, nightclub, sports arena, resort hotel, or the like.

6. hand.

7. Informal. a way of getting ahead or gaining an advantage.

   The manufacturer regards the new appliance as its handle on the Christmas market.

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verb (used with object)

handles, present (3rd person singular) handled, past participle, past handling present participle

1. to touch, pick up, carry, or feel with the hand or hands; use the hands on; take hold of.

2. to manage, deal with, or be responsible for.

   My wife handles the household accounts.

   This computer handles all our billing.

3. to use or employ, especially in a particular manner; manipulate.

   to handle color expertly in painting.

4. to manage, direct, train, or control.

   to handle troops.

5. to deal with (a subject, theme, argument, etc.).

   The poem handled the problem of instinct versus intellect.

6. to deal with or treat in a particular way.

   to handle a person with tact.

7. to deal or trade in.

   to handle dry goods.

   Synonyms:

   peddle, hawk, market, carry, vend, sell

verb (used without object)

handles, present (3rd person singular) handled, past participle, past handling present participle

1. to behave or perform in a particular way when handled, directed, managed, etc..

   The troops handled well.

   The jet was handling poorly.

idioms

1. get / have a handle on, to acquire an understanding or knowledge of.

   Can you get a handle on what your new boss expects?

2. fly off the handle, to become very agitated or angry, especially without warning or adequate reason.

   I can't imagine why he flew off the handle like that.

handle British  

/ ˈhændəl /

noun

1. the part of a utensil, drawer, etc, designed to be held in order to move, use, or pick up the object

2. a glass beer mug with a handle

3. slang a person's name or title

4. a CB radio slang name for call sign

5. an opportunity, reason, or excuse for doing something

   his background served as a handle for their mockery

6. the quality, as of textiles, perceived by touching or feeling

7. the total amount of a bet on a horse race or similar event

8. informal to become suddenly extremely angry

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verb

1. to pick up and hold, move, or touch with the hands

2. to operate or employ using the hands

   the boy handled the reins well

3. to have power or control over

   my wife handles my investments

4. to manage successfully

   a secretary must be able to handle clients

5. to discuss (a theme, subject, etc)

6. to deal with or treat in a specified way

   I was handled with great tact

7. to trade or deal in (specified merchandise)

8. (intr) to react or respond in a specified way to operation or control

   the car handles well on bends

handle More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing handle

• fly off the handle
• get a fix (handle) on

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• handleability
  noun
• overhandle
  verb (used with object)
• prehandle
  verb (used with object)
• rehandle
  verb (used with object)
• handleable
  adjective
• handled
  adjective
• handleless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• handles
  plural

Participles

• handling
  present
• handled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• handle
  simple
• handles
  simple
• have handled
  perfect
• has handled
  perfect
• am handling
  progressive
• are handling
  progressive
• is handling
  progressive
• have been handling
  perfect progressive
• has been handling
  perfect progressive

Past

• handled
  simple
• had handled
  perfect
• was handling
  progressive
• were handling
  progressive
• had been handling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will handle
  simple
• will have handled
  perfect
• will be handling
  progressive
• will have been handling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of handle

First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English handel, Old English hand(e)le, derivative of hand ; (verb) Middle English handelen, Old English handlian (cognate with German handlen, Old Norse hǫndla “to seize”), derivative of the noun

Explanation

To handle something is to control it, the way an elephant handler might handle an elephant, or the way you would use a handle to lift a suitcase. If you're panicking, a friend might suggest you "get a handle on yourself." How to get a handle on the word handle? Start with the thumb. Much like the word “thimble” is derived from “thumb,” “handle” essentially refers to an object held "in hand," or placed under your control. Handle can also have a more abstract meaning, such as understanding or grasping a concept. You should be able to handle geometry before you start trig, right? A handle is also slang for a nickname. "What's your handle?" is another way of saying "What's your name?"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

handle handles handled handling

“It comes down to, How can they handle this? How are they prepared to handle this?” said Brian Mulberry, who manages a portfolio at Zacks Investment Management that includes Meta stock.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

"We've created a specialised task force to monitor social media closely, especially short video platforms. They will investigate and handle these cases quickly, cracking down in a very strict manner".

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

If we are “Five-Star”-fortunate, we can hire assistance to handle the inevitable difficulties associated with this time of life, whether that means groundskeepers or divorce lawyers.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

Typically, one consultant would handle television advertising, another direct mail, another polling, another big-picture strategy, and so on.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

She ducked inside for the smaller spade with the broken handle, calling over her shoulder, “It’s all right, Patcheen. Go back to sleep.”

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff

In Foynes village across the estuary from the refinery, where a port handles its exports, local businessman John Cassels said the dilemma was clear.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

The commercial aircraft business handles production of Airbus’s lineup of jets and their delivery to customers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

He added that removing or dealing with tree trunks or roots in water is not the responsibility of the state government which he works for but Niwa which handles inland waterways.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

Candi Carter, whose Cistus Media handles e-commerce for Tegna, said viewers have long been accustomed to seeing products touted inside of programming content, going back to the days of Oprah Winfrey’s “favorite things” segments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026

“Arthur. I don’t know his last name. I definitely don’t know his address. Ditto on the handles, but while we’re on the subject, why can’t people just have one handle for everything they do?”

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

I handled my brother’s estate several years ago, and it was extremely time-consuming and expensive, even with the assistance of an attorney.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

But she couldn’t let this go; her colleagues had handled Salute’s case, and she remembered it well.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

Hugging Face said the hack was different from anything it had handled before because it was done at superhuman speed by an AI with little or no human guidance.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Auckland International Airport handled fewer passengers in June than a year earlier and this will reinforce investor concerns about a sluggish recovery in traffic, says Citi.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

I figured if I handled some stuff for myself, that would help.

From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, said Clayton's experience fighting financial crime and handling national security cases made him a proven leader at a time of heightened threats.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

One Gulf official said the attack on Monday caused minor damage to the kingdom’s Abqaiq oil-processing and stabilization facility, the world’s largest, handling roughly 7 million barrels a day.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Wegner himself said earlier this month he would not run for re-election after months of criticism over his handling of a major blackout in January apparently caused by sabotage.

From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026

Kempster was convicted of handling the dead birds, a crime in itself because they are protected species.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

As soon as he’s gone again, Mom’s mood will crash and David, me, and Justin will be handling everything she can’t.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

Related Words

• administer
• conduct
• control
• discuss
• employ
• exercise
• govern
• operate
• play
• serve
• supervise
• take
• treat
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• utilize
• work