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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

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

Rooms were set aside for bookbinding and herb mixing and broadsword training and hand-to-hand combat practice.

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill

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

And with each sip, he remembered his family passing the bottles from hand to hand, laughing at the tickly bubbles, sharing and laughing together....

From "A Long Walk to Water" by Linda Sue Park