Jump To:

• hands-down
  hands-down

  adjective

  easy.
• hands down
  hands down

  Also, in a breeze ; in a walk . Easily, without effort, as in She won the election hands down , or They won in a breeze, 10–0 , or The top players get through the first rounds of the tournament in a walk . All of these expressions originated in sports. Hands down , dating from the mid-1800s, comes from horse racing, where jockeys drop their hands downward and relax their hold when they are sure to win. In a breeze , first recorded in a baseball magazine in 1910, alludes to the rapid and easy passage of moving air; in a walk , also from baseball, alludes to taking a base on balls, that is, reaching first base without having hit a pitched ball because of the pitcher's mistakes.

hands-down

American  

[handz-doun] / ˈhændzˈdaʊn /

adjective

1. easy.

   a hands-down victory.

2. certain.

   a book destined to be a hands-down bestseller.

---

hands down Idioms  

1. Also, in a breeze ; in a walk . Easily, without effort, as in She won the election hands down , or They won in a breeze, 10–0 , or The top players get through the first rounds of the tournament in a walk . All of these expressions originated in sports. Hands down , dating from the mid-1800s, comes from horse racing, where jockeys drop their hands downward and relax their hold when they are sure to win. In a breeze , first recorded in a baseball magazine in 1910, alludes to the rapid and easy passage of moving air; in a walk , also from baseball, alludes to taking a base on balls, that is, reaching first base without having hit a pitched ball because of the pitcher's mistakes.

2. Unquestionably, without a doubt, as in Hands down, it was the best thing I've ever done .

---

Usage

What does hands-down mean? Hands-down describes something that is easy, as in Our team had a hands-down win, not even breaking a sweat. Hands-down also describes something that is guaranteed, as in Hands-down, that was the hardest test so far this year! Example: Our home team would win against yours hands-down.

Etymology

Origin of hands-down

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hands-down hands down

Makers of the high-bandwidth memory needed for AI data centers have beaten Nvidia hands-down this year, with Micron Technology tripling as, again, chip prices rocketed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026

In the deluge, there was a battle and the hosts won it hands-down in a total grind of an opening half.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2025

Maury Povich is hands-down the most likable man in the entire series.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2023

Bite into this strata of buttery dough, and you’ll agree this is hands-down the best caramel dessert.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 12, 2023

Christian Brothers, hands-down, by the biggest margin of all.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

"If my folks didn't move into the suburbs, then hands down I'm not playing soccer," he says.

From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026

“We are seeing that, hands down, especially in the last two or three years with AI,” he said of job readiness.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026

Chanos won that argument hands down, closing his long bitcoin/short Strategy trade for a sizeable gain.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 16, 2026

In the interim, the court preserved the lower courts’ orders, keeping TPS in place for Syria and Haiti until it hands down a decision.

From Slate ● Mar. 17, 2026

She waved her hands down her sides to make sure I noticed her dress.

From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio