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handle
[ han-dl ]
/ ˈhæn dl /
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noun
verb (used with object), han·dled, han·dling.
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.
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Idioms about handle
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
OTHER WORDS FROM handle
Words nearby handle
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use handle in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for handle
handle
/ (ˈhændəl) /
noun
verb (mainly tr)
Derived forms of handle
handleable, adjectivehandled, adjectivehandleless, adjectiveWord 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
Other Idioms and Phrases with handle
handle
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.