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
-
-
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
-
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
-
have been handicappingperfect progressive
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has been handicappingperfect progressive
Past
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handicappedsimple
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had handicappedperfect
-
was handicappingprogressive
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were handicappingprogressive
-
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:
"Our handicap is less supporters for the situation, but the club decided it. It is something to improve us for the future," said the Spaniard.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
They played so much golf that Haaland knocked seven strokes off his game to lower his handicap to 15.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Pride often refers to his deafness as a “hearing difference” rather than an impairment or handicap.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
Shah admits that Uncle Sam could contribute to volatility, as markets try to handicap these potential worries.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
If this forfeit demand were respected, it would place me at a tremendous handicap.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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
More than 40% of the district’s voters are Democrats, while 28.3% are Republicans and 23.3% registered as having no party preference, according to the nonpartisan California Target Book, which handicaps congressional races.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2025
Administrators admit the system is open to abuse and some players artificially manipulate handicaps to improve their chances of winning amateur competitions.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2025
Finally a speaker came forward and spoke of Chicago’s South Side, its Negro population, their sufferings, and handicaps, linking all that, also, to the world struggle.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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
It may transpire that Verstappen's car was handicapped when he set his fastest time.
From BBC ● Nov. 28, 2025
Cognitive fluency and watery judicial eyes aside, Arriaga and I are still handicapped without a PC.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2024
At the airport garage we have no trouble finding a row of empty handicapped parking spaces.
From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper
That’s a sharp reversal from the past two years, when investors were handicapping how quickly the Fed would be cutting rates despite stubborn inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 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
Even if Christine’s daily coverage was often buried on a page deep in the section, surrounded by handicapping and small-type results, Christine would rise to the occasion and give you a well crafted non-obvious story.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2025
"The rules of golf and handicapping rely on the integrity of players," Moir added.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2025
Foursomes, partners in, 171; old style, 188; four-ball, 189; tactics in, 190; sociability of, 191; mutual understanding in, 192; junior partner in, 193; handicapping in, 195; classical story of, 196.
From The Complete Golfer by Harry Vardon
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