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unhand

American

[uhn-hand] / ʌnˈhænd /

verb (used with object)

to take the hand or hands from; release from a grasp; let go.

Unhand me, you wretched coward!

unhand British

/ ʌnˈhænd /

verb

archaic (tr) to release from the grasp

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of unhand

First recorded in 1595–1605; un- ² + hand

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.

They stage a melodrama in the lobby in which the business of "unhand that woman" and "the viper beats my mother" is used with proper gusto.

From Time Magazine Archive

“Dog, unhand our royal charger. We are the Empress Jadis.”

From "The Magician's Nephew" by C. S. Lewis

"But replaced by—by—by—Oh God, Isabel, unhand me!" cried Pierre, starting up.

From Pierre; or The Ambiguities by Melville, Herman

Alive, well, safe!" roared back the minstrel; "unhand me!

From With Fire and Sword An Historical Novel of Poland and Russia. by Sienkiewicz, Henryk

Give your orders to your men to unhand this gentleman instantly.

From For Love of Country A Story of Land and Sea in the Days of the Revolution by Brady, Cyrus Townsend

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