the hand that is on the right side, or the side opposite that where the heart is.
the right side, as of a person, especially this side considered as the side of precedence or courtesy.
a position of honor or special trust.
an extremely efficient or reliable person or, sometimes, tool, especially a person considered as one's assistant.
on the right.
of, for, or with the right hand.
most reliable, valuable, or useful, as a helper or assistant.
Building Trades. Also
(of a door) having the hinges on the right when seen from the exterior of the building, room, closet, etc., to which the doorway leads.
(of a casement sash) having the hinges on the right when seen from inside the window.
of, relating to, located on, or moving towards the right
a right-hand bend
this car has right-hand drive
for use by the right hand; right-handed
one's most valuable assistant or supporter
before 1000; Middle English; Old English
adj. use of right hand
Anything on the right-hand side is on the right. Just add hand if you don’t want people getting it confused with right as in “correct.” Also, your most reliable friend is your right-hand woman (or man). Your car's turn signal may be on the right-hand side of the steering wheel, and your dishwasher might be on the right-hand side of your kitchen sink. In both cases, right-hand describes something located toward the right, or in the direction of your right hand. A right-hand person, on the other hand, is someone you know you can depend on. In the musical "Hamilton," George Washington asks Alexander Hamilton to be his "right-hand man."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He unleashed his right hand in the second round, with the final shot sending Albanian Prenga crashing down and forcing the referee to halt the contest.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Local authorities have said four more victims of the fire, recovered in a right hand drive vehicle, were thought to be British.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Reinecke incurred a slight injury to her right hand, but her mother was hit by the blown-out glass.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
He kept a towel draped over his right hand for almost the entire game to cover the black brace covering his wrist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
And I gave him the Vulcan salute, which was just the four fingers on my right hand making a V. It was from an old TV show that Erlan’s dad liked.
From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff
The search will soon begin for a new right-hand man or woman for King Charles, with the current principal private secretary, Sir Clive Alderton, set to step down next year.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
But this year the 29-year-old Visma-Lease a Bike rider abandoned after breaking his collarbone on a easy right-hand bend on stage 15.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
He said four of the dead were in a right-hand drive car that indicated they were British, but that their identities were still being confirmed.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
Verdicts are also due in separate corruption trials of Sanchez's former right-hand man Jose Luis Abalos and his brother David Sanchez.
From Barron's ● Jun. 20, 2026
Reinhold Barth, Dasch's relative and Kappe's right-hand man, had worked for the Long Island Rail Road in America, and he gave them a tour of a railroad plant and yards.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
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.
