lay hands on
Idioms-
Also, get one's hands on . Get someone or something in one's grasp, especially to do harm. For example, Tom's gone off with the keys again; just wait till I lay my hands on him . [c. a.d. 1000]
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Also, . Find, obtain, as in As soon as I lay hands on the book, I'll call you , or He couldn't seem to put his hands on last year's sales figures . Also see get hold of .
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.
Most artificial-intelligence companies are so desperate for computing capacity that they will use any advanced chip they can lay hands on, but switching to a new computing system can be complex and costly.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
He said she did not lay hands on the security guard but was desperate to keep a hold of the bag and its contents.
From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026
So I completely get why Larry David would lay hands on the world’s kindliest Muppet on live TV.
From Salon • Feb. 9, 2024
Supreme Court — not to spare his life, but to allow his pastor to lay hands on him and pray in the execution chamber.
From New York Times • Sep. 22, 2022
“It’s maddening to think what might be in that journal of his—to think there might be something we could use to stop him...but I know there’s no way we can lay hands on it.”
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
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.
