overhand
Americanadjective
adverb
noun
verb (used with object)
adjective
-
thrown or performed with the hand raised above the shoulder
-
sewn with thread passing over two edges in one direction
adverb
-
with the hand above the shoulder; overarm
-
with shallow stitches passing over two edges
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overhandsimple
-
overhandssimple
-
have overhandedperfect
-
has overhandedperfect
-
am overhandingprogressive
-
are overhandingprogressive
-
is overhandingprogressive
-
have been overhandingperfect progressive
-
has been overhandingperfect progressive
Past
-
overhandedsimple
-
had overhandedperfect
-
was overhandingprogressive
-
were overhandingprogressive
-
had been overhandingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overhand
Vocabulary lists containing overhand
Physical Education - Introductory
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Physical Education - Middle School and High School
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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.
See Examples For:
Lesch’s delivery had one major flaw: He threw directly overhand, as opposed to three-quarters or even sidearm, which can increase velocity but also places additional strain on the shoulder and elbow.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026
Fury had to be watchful at times as Makhmudov did land occasional overhand rights, but the Russian was largely one-dimensional as Fury took a wide decision with scorecards of 120-108, 120-108 and 119-109.
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026
On the undercard, Welsh welterweight Oban Elliott delivered the first highlight-reel moment of the night as he knocked out American Bassil Hafez with a huge overhand right in the third round.
From BBC ● Nov. 17, 2024
When Ngannou’s overhand left sent Fury crashing to the canvas for the seventh time as a professional in October, he rose to his feet, regrouped and did the job.
From BBC ● May 16, 2024
Brian’s a machine, a machine gun, two at a time, three, four, underhand, overhand, both hands.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
She climbed Popocatepetl, the mysterious "Sleeping Woman" that overhands the ancient town, and looked into its crater.
From Love Eternal by Haggard, Henry Rider
"How shall I pass her up?" says I. Just then she made a spring for that rope ladder of ours and overhands up like a trapeze star.
From Shorty McCabe by Wilson, F. Vaux (Francis Vaux)
Mahomes threw TD passes underhanded, overhanded, and shoveled one on Kansas City's three possessions in the first half.
From Fox News ● Oct. 5, 2021
Mahomes tossed TD passes underhanded, overhanded and shoveled one on Kansas City’s three possessions in the first half.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 3, 2021
“This is something Errolson calls the ‘escape zip,’ ” Gibson said, indicating an unusual zipper along the jacket’s shoulder, and demonstrating how it could be used to enact an instantaneous, overhanded dejacketing.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 9, 2019
It has generally been accepted that pitching a baseball overhanded is unnatural, that the human arm is much better suited to the underhanded softball throw or the looping cricket delivery.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 15, 2016
He pitched the giant out overhanded; holding the entrance, he reached for the dark man with one hand and tossed him on top of the giant.
From Police Your Planet by Del Rey, Lester
The cat leaped on to an overhanding rock, and as the hollow, raucous howl went ringing back and forth again the dogs turned questioningly, their eyes straining to seek the reality of the call.
From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford
The overhanding of narrow hems is not always necessary, but the ends may be made stronger thereby, and the stitch is a valuable one for the pupils to know.
From Ontario Teachers' Manuals: Household Science in Rural Schools by Ontario. Ministry of Education
Fasten the pattern under the warp by overhanding to the rods, taking care to have the black strings directly over the perpendicular lines in the pattern.
From Hand-Loom Weaving A Manual for School and Home by Todd, Mattie Phipps
It may be desirable to use this overhanding stitch at the ends of hems, to hold the edges of the material together.
From Ontario Teachers' Manuals: Household Science in Rural Schools by Ontario. Ministry of Education
Lace made up of units can be easily joined by overhanding these units together. b.
From Handicraft for Girls A Tentative Course in Needlework, Basketry, Designing, Paper and Cardboard Construction, Textile Fibers and Fabrics and Home Decoration and Care by McGlauflin, Idabelle
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.
