ˈhan(d)-tə-ˈhand 
ˈhan-də-
: involving physical contact or close enough range for physical contact
hand-to-hand fighting
: at very close range
Examples of hand-to-hand in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
The training includes obstacle courses, hand-to-hand combat, and firearms training.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Literary Hub, 3 Dec. 2025
It is embedded in the pages of a magazine passed hand to hand, mother to daughter, generation to generation.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hand-to-hand
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Adjective
The film harks back to Hong Kong action cinema’s golden age, spotlighting authentic martial arts and hand-to-hand combat performed by an international roster of elite fighters.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
The training includes obstacle courses, hand-to-hand combat, and firearms training.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Adverb
One copy, then two, then many were passed hand to hand.
—Literary Hub, 3 Dec. 2025
It is embedded in the pages of a magazine passed hand to hand, mother to daughter, generation to generation.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hand-to-hand
Cite this Entry
“Hand-to-hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand-to-hand. Accessed 19 Dec. 2025.
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