hand down
Britishverb
-
to leave to a later period or generation; bequeath
-
to pass (an outgrown garment) on from one member of a family to a younger one
-
law to announce or deliver (a verdict)
-
Bequeath to one's heirs, as in The silver and jewels have been handed down from generation to generation in that family . [Late 1600s]
-
Make and pronounce an official decision, especially the verdict of a court. For example, The judge wasted no time in handing down a sentence of contempt of court . [First half of 1900s] Also see hand on ; hand over .
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.
"She said, 'Put on your headscarf.' She tried to force the headscarf on me. I said: 'You shouldn't touch my headscarf.' I pulled her hand down."
From BBC • May 10, 2026
Most crucially, Kim Il Sung built up an extraordinary cult of personality around himself that was durable enough to hand down to his son and then his grandson, the current leader Kim Jong Un.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
He put his hand down after a jump, but the mistake only seemed to fuel him as he finished with a flourish, changing the back-half of his program to earn back extra points.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 8, 2026
Whether that will affect 2026 depends on when they hand down the opinion and how quickly the states could adapt.
From Salon • Jan. 23, 2026
Verusha ran a hand down one of her braids and said, “I’ve been trying to get better.”
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
