handicap
Americannoun
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handicaps
plural
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a race or other contest in which certain disadvantages or advantages of weight, distance, time, etc., are placed upon competitors to equalize their chances of winning.
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the disadvantage or advantage itself.
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any disadvantage that makes success more difficult.
The main handicap of our business is lack of capital.
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Sometimes Offensive. a physical or mental disability making participation in certain of the usual activities of daily living more difficult.
verb (used with object)
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handicaps,
present (3rd person singular)
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handicapped,
past participle, past
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handicapping
present participle
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to place at a disadvantage; disable or burden.
He was handicapped by his injured ankle.
- Synonyms:
- incapacitate, cripple, impede, hinder
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to subject to a disadvantageous handicap, as a competitor of recognized superiority.
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to assign handicaps to (competitors).
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Sports.
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to attempt to predict the winner of (a contest, especially a horse race), as by comparing past performances of the contestants.
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to assign odds for or against (any particular contestant) to win a contest or series of contests.
He handicapped the Yankees at 2-to-1 to take the series from the Cardinals.
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noun
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something that hampers or hinders
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a contest, esp a race, in which competitors are given advantages or disadvantages of weight, distance, time, etc, in an attempt to equalize their chances of winning
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the advantage or disadvantage prescribed
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golf the number of strokes by which a player's averaged score exceeds the standard scratch score for the particular course: used as the basis for handicapping in competitive play
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any physical disability or disadvantage resulting from physical, mental, or social impairment or abnormality
verb
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to be a hindrance or disadvantage to
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to assign a handicap or handicaps to
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to organize (a contest) by handicapping
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to attempt to forecast the winner of (a contest, esp a horse race)
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to assign odds for or against (a contestant)
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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handicapsimple
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handicapssimple
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have handicappedperfect
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has handicappedperfect
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am handicappingprogressive
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are handicappingprogressive
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is handicappingprogressive
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have been handicappingperfect progressive
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has been handicappingperfect progressive
Past
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handicappedsimple
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had handicappedperfect
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was handicappingprogressive
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were handicappingprogressive
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had been handicappingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of handicap
1640–50; 1870–75 handicap for def. 8; originally hand i' cap hand in cap, referring to a drawing before a horse race
Explanation
A mental or physical disadvantage, such as blindness or a missing leg, is a handicap: something that disables you in some way. Handicaps can also be imposed artificially to even out the odds in sporting events. A sporting handicap might be a faster horse carrying an extra weight, or a better golfer having a few strokes added to her score to make things more competitive. Sometimes fate imposes a handicap, as when bad weather handicaps your travel plans, or a strike handicaps the subway system. Handicap comes from the term hand in cap, an ancient British practice in which two bettors placed their money into a hat held by a neutral third party before a bet.
Vocabulary lists containing handicap
"Harrison Bergeron"
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From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
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"Gambling in Schools"
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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.
See Examples For:
Shah admits that Uncle Sam could contribute to volatility, as markets try to handicap these potential worries.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
His golf handicap just went up in my book.
From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026
The mistake starry-eyed investors make at times like this is betting on every horse, or in thinking that they can handicap AI thoroughbreds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
John: On the same handicap mark as when an 11-length fourth to Panic Attack at Newbury.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026
His skills negated the handicap; he once won on a horse carrying fifteen pounds more than his impost.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
John: Narrowly beaten in hot Cheltenham handicaps on each of his past three starts this season, including when pipped in the Ultima Handicap Chase by Johnnywho.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026
As far as handicaps go, if you are sweeping your putts, you’re only hurting yourself and no one else…keep it enjoyable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026
It also created a ranking system, Spindex, with the hopes of making it a ratings scale similar to golf handicaps.
From Barron's ● Mar. 31, 2026
Awards columnist Glenn Whipp handicaps the best picture race as it stands right now.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2025
Man is preoccupied with freedom yet laden with handicaps.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Despite a fine run when second to Panic Attack in the Coral Gold Cup in November, he simply doesn't look well enough handicapped to win.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026
It has long been handicapped by a rule requiring full consensus among members, meaning decisions are few and far between.
From Barron's ● Mar. 20, 2026
Those failures handicapped heroic efforts from fire crews on day one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
Cognitive fluency and watery judicial eyes aside, Arriaga and I are still handicapped without a PC.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2024
It handicapped the most talented and fastest boats, and gave every advantage to the slower boats.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
It irks people when they buy milk but gets scant attention when they buy stocks, unless it’s about handicapping what the Fed’s next rate move might be.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
The new Siri is proving to be difficult because Apple came into the AI race by handicapping itself.
From Barron's ● Dec. 5, 2025
His entire life was dedicated to horse racing and handicapping.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2025
Aston Martin locked out the back row of the grid in Belgium just a week ago, the car's high drag handicapping it on the long, high-speed sections at Spa-Francorchamps.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2025
Handicapping.—The obvious way of handicapping unequal players is for the stronger player to allow his opponent an agreed number of points by way of start.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 7 "Bible" to "Bisectrix" by Various
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.
