bare-handed

adverb or adjective

bare-hand·​ed ˈber-ˈhan-dəd How to pronounce bare-handed (audio)
1
: without gloves
2
: without tools or weapons
fight an animal bare-handed

Examples of bare-handed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The prime minister is a master storyteller, always casting himself as a bare-handed hero fighting a mighty monster: Obama, Iran, the New Israel Fund (a progressive NGO), or his favorite antagonist, the media. Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 6 Feb. 2019 Shelton ran to the plate on Cade Kurland's chopper toward third but Sprague-Lott made a bare-handed snag and fired home, where Hudson White tagged Shelton out. Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 27 Apr. 2024 One of them handed a disposable hand-warmer to a chilled reporter, who was taking bare-handed notes. Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 31 Jan. 2024 His bare-handed putout in UO’s win over Vanderbilt in the NCAA regional round was among his highlight reel plays. oregonlive, 21 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bare-handed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bare-handed was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near bare-handed

Cite this Entry

“Bare-handed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bare-handed. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

barehanded

adverb or adjective
bare·​hand·​ed
-ˈhan-dəd
1
: with the hands bare : without gloves or mittens
2
: without tools or weapons
fight an animal barehanded
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