handle

[han-dl]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR handle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a part of a thing made specifically to be grasped or held by the hand.

that which may be held, seized, grasped, or taken advantage of in effecting a purpose: The clue was a handle for solving the mystery.

Slang.

a person's name, especially the given name.
a person's alias, nickname, or code name.
a username, as on a social media website: What's your Twitter handle?
a name or term by which something is known, described, or explained.

the total amount wagered on an event, series of events, or for an entire season or seasons, as at a gambling casino or in horse racing: The track handle for the day was over a million dollars.

the total amount of money taken in by a business concern on one transaction, sale, event, or series of transactions, or during a specific period, especially by a theater, nightclub, sports arena, resort hotel, or the like.

hand(def 27).

Informal. a way of getting ahead or gaining an advantage: The manufacturer regards the new appliance as its handle on the Christmas market.

verb (used with object), han·dled, han·dling.

to touch, pick up, carry, or feel with the hand or hands; use the hands on; take hold of.

to manage, deal with, or be responsible for: My wife handles the household accounts. This computer handles all our billing.

to use or employ, especially in a particular manner; manipulate: to handle color expertly in painting.

to manage, direct, train, or control: to handle troops.

to deal with (a subject, theme, argument, etc.): The poem handled the problem of instinct versus intellect.

to deal with or treat in a particular way: to handle a person with tact.

to deal or trade in: to handle dry goods.

verb (used without object), han·dled, han·dling.

to behave or perform in a particular way when handled, directed, managed, etc.: The troops handled well. The jet was handling poorly.

Idioms

fly off the handle, Informal. to become very agitated or angry, especially without warning or adequate reason: I can't imagine why he flew off the handle like that.

get/have a handle on, to acquire an understanding or knowledge of: Can you get a handle on what your new boss expects?

Origin of handle

before 900; (noun) Middle English handel, Old English hand(e)le, derivative of hand; (verb) Middle English handelen, Old English handlian (cognate with German handlen, Old Norse hǫndla to seize), derivative of the noun

Related formshan·dle·a·ble, adjectivehan·dle·a·bil·i·ty, nounhan·dle·less, adjectiveo·ver·han·dle, verb (used with object), o·ver·han·dled, o·ver·han·dling.pre·han·dle, verb (used with object), pre·han·dled, pre·han·dling.re·han·dle, verb (used with object), re·han·dled, re·han·dling.

Synonyms for handle

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR handle ON THESAURUS.COM

14. sell, vend, carry, market; hawk, peddle.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for handle

knob, shaft, stem, try, test, examine, hold, check, control, administer, use, work, supervise, serve, play, utilize, employ, treat, conduct, govern

Examples from the Web for handle

Contemporary Examples of handle

The judges who handle arraignments at criminal court in all five boroughs have a small fraction of their usual caseloads.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown
Michael Daly
January 7, 2015
Yet, what my peers do not realize – or cannot handle – is that rejection is a necessary part of forging a romantic relationships.
Random Hook-Ups or Dry Spells: Why Millennials Flunk College Dating
Ellie Schaack
January 1, 2015
Not bragging, but come on, most guys my age can handle maybe one or two in one night.
Porn Stars on the Year in Porn: Drone Erotica, Belle Knox, and Wild Sex
Aurora Snow
December 27, 2014
People always have to perceive the problems before them, including many unexpected nuances, and decide how to handle them.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans
Philip K. Howard
December 27, 2014
Privilege can be a hard concept to get a handle on, especially for those who are immersed in it and reaping the benefits.
What Is Privilege?
The Daily Beast Video
December 11, 2014

Historical Examples of handle

The question, he said, was one for a responsible Ministry alone to handle.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
This tassel is for catching the blood and preventing it from greasing the handle.
Viviette
William J. Locke
Cool enough to handle and then remove the skin and the roots.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 3
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
They are "safe, because they are too filthy to handle, and too noisome even to approach."
The Story of the Malakand Field Force
Sir Winston S. Churchill
Something was wrong; it would not turn; she drew it out and tried the handle.
Quaint Courtships
Various

British Dictionary definitions for handle

handle

noun

the part of a utensil, drawer, etc, designed to be held in order to move, use, or pick up the object

NZ a glass beer mug with a handle

slang a person's name or title

a CB radio slang name for call sign

an opportunity, reason, or excuse for doing somethinghis background served as a handle for their mockery

the quality, as of textiles, perceived by touching or feeling

the total amount of a bet on a horse race or similar event

fly off the handle informal to become suddenly extremely angry

verb (mainly tr)

to pick up and hold, move, or touch with the hands

to operate or employ using the handsthe boy handled the reins well

to have power or control overmy wife handles my investments

to manage successfullya secretary must be able to handle clients

to discuss (a theme, subject, etc)

to deal with or treat in a specified wayI was handled with great tact

to trade or deal in (specified merchandise)

(intr) to react or respond in a specified way to operation or controlthe car handles well on bends

Derived Formshandleable, adjectivehandled, adjectivehandleless, adjective

Word Origin for handle

Old English; related to Old Saxon handlon (vb), Old High German hantilla towel

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

Word Origin and History for handle

Old English handle, formed from hand (n.) with instrumental suffix -le indicating a tool in the way thimble was formed from thumb. The slang sense of "nickname" is first recorded 1870, originally U.S., from earlier expressions about adding a handle to (one's) name, i.e. a title such as Mister or Sir, attested from 1833. To fly off the handle (1833) is a figurative reference to an ax head (to be off the handle "be excited" is recorded from 1825, American English). To get a handle on "get control of" is first recorded 1972.

Old English handlian "to touch or move with the hands," also "deal with, discuss;" see handle (n.). Akin to Old Norse höndla "to seize, capture," Danish handle "to trade, deal," German handeln "to bargain, trade." Related: Handled; handling. Meaning "to act towards (someone) in a certain manner" (usually with hostility or roughness) is from c.1200. The commercial sense was weaker in English than in some other Germanic languages, but it emerged in American English (1888) from the notion of something passing through one's hands, and cf. handler.

Idioms and Phrases with handle

handle

In addition to the idioms beginning with handle

handle to one's name
handle with gloves

also see:

fly off the handle
get a fix (handle) on