Jump To:

• 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.

---

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

---

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]

---

Etymology

Origin of hands-off

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

Newhouse’s philosophy of spending money to produce quality coverage and a hands-off approach toward his editors led to many successes, including multiple Pulitzers.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

The answer to their problem still comes with sacrifice; they’re still at somebody else’s whim, even if that somebody has promised to be hands-off.

From Salon • May 6, 2026

Buffett, however, took a more hands-off approach to Berkshire’s operations, while Abel is keenly involved in managing the businesses and is trying to boost returns at lagging subsidiaries.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

McCullum and Key took a more hands-off approach to the England team which critics felt led to an overly relaxed environment.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

A hands-off policy had backfired, the insurgents had gathered strength.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols