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• 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.

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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 .

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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

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

“We are, hands down, the sweatiest animal on the planet,” writes Bill Gifford in “Hotwired.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

Although he clinched the gold medal in the team competition with a clutch free program, he also put two hands down on a jump.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

Again he lifted Frodo and drew his hands down to his own breast, letting his master’s legs dangle.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien