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• hand-to-hand
  hand-to-hand

  adjective

  close to one's adversary; at close quarters.
• hand to hand
  hand to hand

  In close combat; also, at close quarters. For example, If the enemy came any closer they would soon be fighting hand to hand . This expression, dating from about 1400, is usually restricted to military contexts but occasionally sees more general use.

hand-to-hand

American  

[hand-tuh-hand] / ˈhænd təˈhænd /

adjective

1. close to one's adversary; at close quarters.

   hand-to-hand combat.

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hand-to-hand British  

adjective

1. at close quarters

   they fought hand-to-hand

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hand to hand Idioms  

1. In close combat; also, at close quarters. For example, If the enemy came any closer they would soon be fighting hand to hand . This expression, dating from about 1400, is usually restricted to military contexts but occasionally sees more general use.

2. from hand to hand . From one person to another; through a succession of persons. For example, The instructions were passed from hand to hand until everyone had seen them , or Over the generations the family albums went from hand to hand . [Mid-1500s]

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Etymology

Origin of hand-to-hand

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hand-to-hand hand to hand

“There’s been hand-to-hand combat around AI,” Murphy said, noting that most hyperscalers still put up robust earnings and have high credit ratings and low leverage.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

On-screen footage shows UFC fighter Michael Chandler explaining to an FBI agent how to neutralize an armed assailant with hand-to-hand combat.

From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026

“It’s going to be a lot of hand-to-hand combat with the competition.”

From Barron's ● May 6, 2026

From time to time I’ll make an exception and settle into a relative page-turner: nothing with cliffhangers or lots of hand-to-hand combat, mind you, but with a brisker narrative pace.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

I go for Zelda because she teleports and deflects projectiles and shoots fireballs from great distances, which are all optimal moves for any player looking to avoid hand-to-hand combat.

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

A group of volunteers passes buckets of rubble from hand to hand in long lines.

From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026

Radio Free Europe transmitted programs; samizdat passed typed manuscripts hand to hand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026

They live in grocery store aisles and family kitchens, in care packages and childhood memory — passed hand to hand, season to season, exactly where they belong.

From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2026

Angel Romero, center, an instructor in defense training, teaches cadets hand to hand combat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2025

As they passed the wine from hand to hand, grinning like fools, Jon noticed Samwell Tarly standing by himself beneath a bare dead tree in the comer of the yard.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

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