hansel

[ han-suhl ]

/ ˈhæn səl /

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noun, verb (used with object), han·seled, han·sel·ing or (especially British) han·selled, han·sel·ling.

a variant of handsel.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Words nearby hansel

Hansa yellow, Hansberry, Hanse, Hanseatic, Hanseatic League, hansel, “Hansel and Gretel”, Hansen, Hansen's disease, Hansetown, Han Shui

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hansel in a sentence

The folk tale “Hansel and Gretel” originated in these years.
When the Weather Went All Medieval: Climate Change, Famine, and Mass Death|Wendy Smith|June 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters manages to change the fairy tale so that its protagonists are armed like GI Joe.
‘Texas Chainsaw 3D’ and Hollywood’s Gore Obsession|Ramin Setoodeh|January 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Much like Max, Hansel and Gretel are abandoned by their parents in the forest and forced to fend for themselves.
Maurice Sendak Knew Enough to Put the Bite Back in Children’s Stories|Andrew Romano|May 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But I said: 'Hansel and Gretel is one of the scariest stories ever written!
Maurice Sendak Knew Enough to Put the Bite Back in Children’s Stories|Andrew Romano|May 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST

After a few ridiculous barbs, Zoolander flexes his ego, challenging Hansel to a “walk-off.”
Billy Zane Opens Up About ‘Titanic,’ ‘Zoolander,’ and the Lost Decade|Marlow Stern|April 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Hansel said to Gretel: 'We shall soon find the way,' but they did not find it.
Grimms' Fairy Tales|The Brothers Grimm
Let Hansel be fat or lean, tomorrow I will kill him, and cook him.'
Grimms' Fairy Tales|The Brothers Grimm
Gretel wept bitter tears, and said to Hansel: 'Now all is over with us.'
Grimms' Fairy Tales|The Brothers Grimm
Then Hansel sprang like a bird from its cage when the door is opened.
Grimms' Fairy Tales|The Brothers Grimm
His father said: 'Hansel, what are you looking at there and staying behind for?
Grimms' Fairy Tales|The Brothers Grimm

British Dictionary definitions for hansel

hansel

/ (ˈhænsəl) /

noun, verb

a variant spelling of handsel

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012