hand-to-hand

[hand-tuh-hand]

adjective

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

   hand-to-hand combat.

hand-to-hand

adjective

1. at close quarters

   they fought hand-to-hand

Word History and Origins

Origin of hand-to-hand¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Idioms and Phrases

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.

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]

Example Sentences

They were to be used in hand-to-hand fighting that would take place if the Mary Rose was boarded by an enemy.

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There are some respites from the training, the running and marching, the room full of tear gas, the dead man’s float test, the hand-to-hand combat, the flower planting.

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On a recent afternoon at the city’s aging police academy, young officers rappelled down walls and simulated hand-to-hand combat.

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In remarkable police video, which resembles hand-to-hand combat, Inspector Moloy Campbell raised his baton as Monzo brought down his sword trying to slash him.

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Denali, exiled from the Comanche tribe, becomes a personal assassin to the tycoon, and is seen firing arrows and in hand-to-hand combat.

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