hands up

Idioms  

1. A direction or order to hold one's hands high, as in Hands up or I'll shoot! This imperative is used by police officers and criminals so that they can see if someone is holding a weapon. [Second half of 1800s]

---

Example Sentences

Halliday: I am the Margaret Atwood No. 1 fan — I hold my hands up.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

"Boxing is so easy: it's put your hands up and hit the other guy. That's it," he said.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Nonetheless, don’t expect any team to start instructing its hitters to move their hands up off the knob.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

The craze, which literally just involves saying “six-seven” and moving your hands up and down, is, however, a sign of Gen Alpha’s broader style of internet humor: brain rot.

From Slate • Dec. 28, 2025

He put his hands up, but the water spattered him.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu