Synonyms

special handling

American

noun

(in the U.S. Postal Service) the handling of third- and fourth-class mail as first-class upon the payment of a fee.

Etymology

Origin of special handling

First recorded in 1925–30

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.

Pharmaceutical distributor Cencora will invest $1 billion in its U.S. supply chain as demand soars for cancer therapies, weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and other medications that need special handling and refrigeration.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 5, 2025

Designating entire areas for special handling would reduce the number of scientists and institutions able to carry out the work and increase costs, Jason concluded.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 4, 2024

As for classification level, they range from confidential to top-secret to special handling categories, the person added.

From Washington Post • Aug. 8, 2022

The Canadian air traffic control authority told Reuters that Aeroflot had declared the flight as a “humanitarian” mission, a designation that requires special handling by air traffic control under normal circumstances.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 1, 2022

No, this young man will require quite special handling.

From The Best Made Plans by Dongen, H. R. van

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023