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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

They have not been treated respectfully; hence the refusal to issue a hands-off order on Kyiv’s airport while the two were in town.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

If you’re ready to wind down the farm and bar, perhaps you could keep the record-holder business if it’s relatively hands-off and continues to provide good income.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

It marks a change of tone for his administration, which has taken a more hands-off approach to the technology.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

The release of powerful new AI models has since prompted the administration to shift from a hands-off approach to increased oversight.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 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

Starbucks on Thursday rolled out a bonus and tipping program for its employees, and announced a deal that hands off a big slice of its store business in China to an investment firm.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 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

Beata Landes, 23, held a sign she wrote herself: “Keep your hands off my family.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 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

I found my nerve and took my hands off the car.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson