handshake
Americannoun
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a gripping and shaking of right hands by two individuals, such as to symbolize greeting, congratulation, agreement, or farewell.
It was a verbal contract, sealed with a firm handshake.
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Computers. Also handshaking. an exchange of predetermined signals between networked or linked devices that is made when a connection is initially established or at intervals during data transmission in order to assure proper synchronization (also used attributively).
A successful handshake is required between the server and client before the application will launch.
Two handshake signals are exchanged between the computer and the printer—one from each device.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of handshake
Explanation
A handshake is the act of greeting someone by clasping their hand in yours and giving a brief, firm, up-and-down shake. It's fairly formal to greet another person with a handshake. It's appropriate to use a handshake, usually with the right hand, when you're being introduced to someone or presenting yourself at a job interview, for example. You can also use a handshake to seal an agreement or deal with another person. Handshakes were used as far back as the 5th century BCE in ancient Greece, and some historians believe the handshake was initially meant as a gesture proving that neither person held a weapon.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The first-day-of-work outfit has long been a carefully choreographed ritual, the professional equivalent of a firm handshake.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026
After a missed match dart by Van Veen, the pair exchanged a frosty handshake and the Dutchman said Littler "was out of order" at what he perceived to be a celebration at the miss.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
It was on the South Lawn, too, where Bill Clinton hosting the 1993 Oslo Accord handshake between Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat.
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
Nothing would please him more than turning the handshake into a collaboration down the line.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
Aunt Pooh and Scrap do their little handshake.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
