hand down

verb

handed down; handing down; hands down

transitive verb

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

Despite not showing it very often on film, Martinez consistently showed natural, soft hands down in Mobile. —Steve Bradshaw, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025

The sentence was handed down Wednesday during an emotional hearing that followed Dowling’s Jan. 22 plea deal. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2025

And it’s constantly being handed down from one generation to the next. —Katie Bain, Billboard, 20 Feb. 2025

The indictment was handed down after technicians at a national Best Buy facility in Kentucky, known as Geek Squad City, discovered what prosecutors described as a photo of a naked, prepubescent girl while fixing Rettenmaier’s broken computer and notified local FBI agents. —Scott Schwebke, Orange County Register, 19 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hand down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

hand down

verb

1

: 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 verb

1

: 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)