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hand down
verb
handed down; handing down; hands down
1
: to transmit in succession (as from father to son)
2
: to make official formulation of and express (the opinion of a court)
Examples of hand down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Recipes handed down through generations are the ones that help make events like Christmas special.
—Jeanne Lyons Davis, Southern Living, 22 Nov. 2024
Social media ban The Australian government has proposed a ban on children under 16 from using social media and will hand down huge fines to companies who don’t comply.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN, 21 Nov. 2024
Heavy prison sentences handed down Tuesday to 45 pro-democracy activists suggest instead a Chinese bid to crush a generation of dissenters.
—Ann Scott Tyson, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Nov. 2024
Avocado The Black Friday sale season is hands down the best time to buy a mattress.
—Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 18 Nov. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near hand down
Cite this Entry
“Hand down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand%20down. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
hand down
verb1
: to pass down from older to younger (as from parent to child)
2
: to form and express a judicial decision
Legal Definition
hand down
transitive verb1
: to deliver (the decision or opinion of an appellate court) to the proper office of an inferior court
2
: to make an official formulation of and announce (the decision of a court)
More from Merriam-Webster on hand down
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hand down
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