handling
Americannoun
-
a touching, grasping, or using with the hands.
-
the manner of treating or dealing with something; management; treatment.
-
the manual or mechanical method or process by which something is moved, carried, transported, etc.
adjective
noun
-
the act or an instance of picking up, turning over, or touching something
-
treatment, as of a theme in literature
-
-
the process by which a commodity is packaged, transported, etc
-
( as modifier )
handling charges
-
-
law the act of receiving property that one knows or believes to be stolen
Etymology
Origin of handling
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English handlung (noun); equivalent to handle + -ing 1
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.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, said Clayton's experience fighting financial crime and handling national security cases made him a proven leader at a time of heightened threats.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
"She'd been a carer since she was 18. I checked everything with her - she was trained on dementia, manual handling, incontinence. I'll never get my head around how she could do this," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Wegner himself said earlier this month he would not run for re-election after months of criticism over his handling of a major blackout in January apparently caused by sabotage.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
The contrast between her district and the city overall offered Raman an angle to present herself as more effectively handling the homelessness crisis than Bass.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Only 26 percent supported his handling of the war.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
![]()
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.