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• hands-off
  hands-off

  adjective

  characterized by nonintervention or noninterference.
• hands off
  hands off

  An order to stop touching or interfering with something, as in Hands off the cake, children! This idiom is also put as keep one's hands off, as in She knew she had to keep her hands off so he could learn to tie his shoes by himself. [Mid-1500s]

hands-off

American  

[handz-awf, -of] / ˈhændzˈɔf, -ˈɒf /

adjective

1. characterized by nonintervention or noninterference.

   the new hands-off foreign policy.

2. remote or unfriendly; estranging.

   a truculent, hands-off manner toward strangers.

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hands-off British  

adjective

1. (of a machine, device, etc) without need of manual operation

2. denoting a policy, etc, of deliberate noninvolvement

   a hands-off strategy towards industry

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hands off Idioms  

1. An order to stop touching or interfering with something, as in Hands off the cake, children! This idiom is also put as keep one's hands off, as in She knew she had to keep her hands off so he could learn to tie his shoes by himself. [Mid-1500s]

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Etymology

Origin of hands-off

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hands-off hands off

Eagle Rock Ranch oxtail takes on smoke beautifully, allowing for mostly hands-off cooking.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

Barr has pushed for tighter supervision while Bowman, a former community banker and state bank commissioner, has advocated for a more hands-off approach.

From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026

The move to restrict CAISI’s activity is the latest example of how powerful models such as Mythos have thrown the administration’s hands-off AI strategy into disarray.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

One conversion in Hemel Hempstead is a "fully hands-off investment with guaranteed income and no ongoing headaches", he says.

From BBC ● May 20, 2026

The Thunderhead’s hands-off policy when it came to scythes meant that scythe’s images were not tagged in any way.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

As I give talks and take questions from readers, I’ve come to realize that those who are the most skilled at using AI are equally knowledgeable about where they should keep hands off.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

Making popcorn or other snacks part of family movie night creates something to look forward to—and helps keep hands off devices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 7, 2026

Asked whether he would also say to President Trump "hands off Greenland", Sir Keir's response was definitive, when so often in diplomacy answers are caveated and nuanced.

From BBC ● Jan. 5, 2026

Markets reopened as usual on Friday, but traders seemed content to keep their hands off the terminals and enjoy the postholiday haze.

From Barron's ● Dec. 27, 2025

“I don’t even take my hands off the steering wheel till I can talk to them,” he said.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover