Showing results for hand-wringing. Search instead for hand+wringer.

hand-wringing

British

noun

informal an extended debate over the correct course of action in a situation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

For all the hand-wringing, Arsenal is still in contention for four trophies this year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

Much of the hand-wringing about AI slop focuses on material that may be ubiquitous but innocuous.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2025

It's at McLaren where the hand-wringing will be most intense.

From BBC • Nov. 30, 2025

Many retirees remained burned by the steep downturn in both stocks and bonds, causing much hand-wringing about whether the 60/40 portfolio was dead.

From Barron's • Nov. 18, 2025

I could hear his hand-wringing through the long echo of the telephone.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023