HANDLE | Meaning, Definition In Cambridge English Dictionary

Meaning of handle in English handlenoun [ C ] uk /ˈhæn.dəl/ us /ˈhæn.dəl/

handle noun [C] (PART)

Add to word list Add to word list B2 a part of an object designed for holding, moving, or carrying the object easily: a door handle the handle on a suitcase I can't pick the kettle up - the handle's too hot.turn a handle She turned the handle and slowly opened the door.   pbombaert/Moment/GettyImages

• I just opened the drawer as usual and the handle came away in my hand.
• The handle on this door is rather stiff.
• Slowly, I turned the door handle.
• I picked it up and the handle broke off.
• The door handles were made of brass.

Having in your hands

• chokehold
• clasp
• clench
• cling
• clutch
• dandle
• glove
• grip
• hand in hand idiom
• handheld
• hang
• hang on phrasal verb
• hang/hold on like grim death idiom
• iron grip
• join hands idiom
• keep a tight hold on something
• make a grab
• nurse
• onto
• purchase

See more results »

handle noun [C] (NAME)

informal a name of a person or place, especially a strange one: That's some handle to go through life with! internet & telecoms   specialized, informal a name that someone is known by on some social media websites: On this site, handles start with an @ sign. You can follow the team under the handle @ManUtd. Names and titles

• A.N. Other
• age
• aka
• alias
• appellation
• first name
• forename
• form of address
• generic name
• given name
• otherwise known as someone/something
• patronymic
• pen name
• pet name
• place name
• trade name
• trademark
• unchristened
• under the name of idiom
• unidentified

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Internet terminology

Idioms

to get a handle on something to have a handle on something handleverb uk /ˈhæn.dəl/ us /ˈhæn.dəl/

handle verb (DEAL WITH)

B1 [ T ] to deal with, have responsibility for, or be in charge of: I thought he handled the situation very well. Some people are brilliant with computers, but have no idea how to handle (= behave with) other people. If you can't handle the job I'll get someone else to do it. Who handles the marketing in your company?

• This is a very delicate situation and it needs to be handled sensitively.
• Only some of the bank's lending operations are handled directly by the manager.
• The president has been criticized for the way he has handled the whole affair.
• The customer services department handles any customer complaints.
• So far, he seems to be handling the job well, but it's really too soon to judge.

Dealing with things or people

• addressable
• approach
• attend to someone/something phrasal verb
• be all over it idiom
• beard the lion (in his/her den) idiom
• bed
• cut
• go at someone phrasal verb
• grip
• have it out with someone idiom
• hold
• hold on idiom
• I/I've got this idiom
• square
• take (something) over phrasal verb
• tend to someone/something phrasal verb
• to get a handle on something idiom
• to have a handle on something idiom
• turn to someone phrasal verb
• weather

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handle verb (TOUCH)

C2 [ T ] to pick something up and touch, hold, or move it with your hands: Always wash your hands before handling food. Please don't handle the vases - they're very fragile. Touching & feeling

• arm
• belly rub
• brush against someone/something
• dab at something
• diddle
• feel around for something
• felt
• finger
• graze
• kinaesthesia
• kiss
• noncontact
• nudge
• over-handle
• pet
• physical contact
• play with something phrasal verb
• prink
• toy
• twiddle

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handle verb (OPERATE)

[ T ] to operate or control something that could be difficult or dangerous: Have you ever handled a gun before? [ I usually + adv/prep ] If a car handles well, it is easy and pleasant to drive. Controlling and being in charge

• agentive
• aggrandize
• assert your authority
• assume
• assumption
• gatekeeping
• get the better of someone idiom
• get your hooks into someone/something idiom
• get/fall into the wrong hands idiom
• govern
• paternalism
• paternalist
• paternalistic
• paternalistically
• peremptorily
• tame
• wear the trousers idiom
• well in hand
• what someone says, goes idiom
• wrangler

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

On the road: driving & operating road vehicles

handle verb (SELL)

[ T ] to buy and sell goods: We only handle cosmetics that have not been tested on animals.mainly UK He's been arrested for handling stolen goods. Buying & selling - general words

• all-you-can-eat
• anti-consumer
• anti-dumping
• back order
• barter
• dealership
• desk research
• distribution channel
• do business with someone/something
• dumping
• ebay
• hock
• package deal
• pawn
• pre-emption
• pre-order
• procurement
• tender
• the bottom drops/falls out of the market idiom
• window shopping

See more results » (Definition of handle from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

handle | American Dictionary

handleverb [ T ] us /ˈhæn·dəl/

handle verb [T] (TOUCH)

Add to word list Add to word list to lift something and touch, hold, or move it with your hands: Please handle the old photographs carefully.

handle verb [T] (DEAL WITH)

to deal with, have responsibility for, or be in charge of something: Who handles the marketing in your company? Some managers have no idea how to handle people. handlenoun [ C ] us /ˈhæn·dəl/

handle noun [C] (TOUCH)

a part of an object designed for holding, moving, or carrying the object: the handle of a shovel I can’t pick the pot up – the handle’s too hot. (Definition of handle from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

handle | Business English

handleverb [ T ] uk /ˈhændl/ us Add to word list Add to word list to deal with something difficult: handle pressure/stress/problems It was a job that taught me how to handle pressure and use it to my advantage. to deal with something or someone such as money, goods, or customers: Your financial adviser can handle all the details of purchasing shares. to be responsible for organizing or managing something or someone: The office in Europe also handles marketing for the region. COMMERCE to buy and sell goods: We only handle cosmetics which have not been tested on animals. COMMERCE to move or store goods: The distribution company handles around 45 per cent of all the milk produced in the UK. He admitted handling stolen goods. to use your hands to move or hold something: Staff are trained and equipped to handle hazardous materials. handlenoun uk /ˈhændl/ us  get/have a handle on sth informal to understand something or be able to deal with something: By coming in early and staying late she started to get a handle on the problem. (Definition of handle from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of handle

handle Ways of handling the difficulties experienced by focus group participants were highlighted in the later enumerator training sessions before the actual survey was conducted. From the Cambridge English Corpus Here the judgment was made regardless of the way in which the materials were handled or treated, or any utterances that the child made. From the Cambridge English Corpus Effect of neonatal handling on age-related impairments associated with the hippocampus. From the Cambridge English Corpus Postnatal handling attenuates neuroendocrine, anatomical, and cognitive impairments related to the aged hippocampus. From the Cambridge English Corpus The other cases are handled in the same way. From the Cambridge English Corpus Both these senses are claimed to be uniformly handled by her account, which consists in the following two claims. From the Cambridge English Corpus With extensive willow beds this method of control presents some difficulty, since only part of the crop could be handled in the period suggested. From the Cambridge English Corpus The o(2) norm is handled in the same way. From the Cambridge English Corpus She covers about 800 advertisements in different written genres, which makes her study wider because she handles advertising as well as business names. From the Cambridge English Corpus All responses are being handled collectively, without identifying any particular respondent in the summary of results. From the Cambridge English Corpus A very convenient non-standard method for handling the singular perturbation problems for any limiting case will be presented. From the Cambridge English Corpus To encourage the development of parental confidence and skills in handling and feeding which reduces parental anxiety, increases their sense of competency and controllability. From the Cambridge English Corpus Replicated loop designs are very convenient and efficient designs for handling this latter situation. From the Cambridge English Corpus However, traditional multivariate analysis is incapable of handling such a high dimensionality of the multivariate model. From the Cambridge English Corpus The recorded animals remained in their full-sib groups and any difference between them is due to handling frequency. From the Cambridge English Corpus See all examples of handle These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with handle

handle

These are words often used in combination with handle.

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

bolt handleIn the stock, a recess had to be made to accommodate the turned-down bolt handle modification. From Wikipedia This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.   broom handleRange myself on the side of the broom handle, was his answer. From Wikipedia This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.   carrying handleTitanium was used to make the receiver body, front sight post, and carrying handle while maintaining steel operating system components. From Wikipedia This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.   These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors. See all collocations with handle What is the pronunciation of handle?

Translations of handle

in Chinese (Traditional) 部分, 柄，把手, 名稱… See more in Chinese (Simplified) 部分, 柄，把手, 名称… See more in Spanish asa, pomo, manejar… See more in Portuguese maçaneta, alça, asa… See more in Marathi in Japanese in Turkish in French in Catalan in Dutch in Tamil in Hindi in Gujarati in Danish in Swedish in Malay in German in Norwegian in Urdu in Ukrainian in Telugu in Bengali in Czech in Indonesian in Thai in Vietnamese in Polish in Korean in Italian मूठ, कडी - पकडण्यासाठी किंवा एखादी वस्तू दुसरीकडे नेण्यासाठी तयार केलेला भाग, व्यवहार करणे… See more （問題）に対処する, （問題）を処理する, ～に触る… See more başa çıkmak, icabına bakmak, üstesinden gelmek… See more toucher, manipuler, savoir s’y prendre avec… See more manejar, ocupar-se de, tocar… See more hengsel, handgreep, oor van kop of beker… See more பொருளை எளிதாக வைத்திருக்கவோ, நகர்த்தவோ அல்லது எடுத்துச் செல்லவோ வடிவமைக்கப்பட்ட பொருளின் ஒரு பகுதி, கையாளுதல்… See more हैंडल, हत्था, संभालना… See more હેન્ડલ, હાચો, સંભાળવું… See more håndtag, hank, have at gøre med… See more handtag, ta i, beröra… See more tangkai, memegang, mengendalikan… See more der Griff, anfassen, umgehen mit… See more ta på, berøre, holde i… See more ہینڈل, نمٹنا, نمٹانا… See more ручка, держак, брати… See more హేండిల్, పిడి, చేతిపిడి… See more হাতল, সামাল দেওয়া, পরিচালনা করা… See more rukojeť, držadlo, klika… See more pegangan, menangani, berurusan… See more ที่จับ, ถือ, จัดการ… See more quai, tay cầm, sờ… See more radzić sobie z, obchodzić się z, dotykać… See more 다루다, 처리하다, 만지다… See more trattare, occuparsi di, maneggiare… See more Need a translator?

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handkerchief handkerchieves handknit handknitted handle handlebar handlebar moustache handlebar mustache handlebars {{#randomImageQuizHook.filename}} {{#randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes Try a quiz now {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{^randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.filename}}

More meanings of handle

• over-handle
• stick-handle, at stickhandle
• fly off the handle idiom
• be too hot to handle idiom
• to get a handle on something idiom
• to have a handle on something idiom
• handle/treat someone with kid gloves

See all meanings

• fly off the handle idiom
• be too hot to handle idiom
• to get a handle on something idiom
• to have a handle on something idiom

See all idioms and phrases

Word of the Day

throw yourself into something

UK /θrəʊ/ US /θroʊ/

to do something actively and enthusiastically

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• English   
  • Noun 
    • handle (PART)
    • handle (NAME)
  • Verb 
    • handle (DEAL WITH)
    • handle (TOUCH)
    • handle (OPERATE)
    • handle (SELL)
• American   
  • Verb 
    • handle (TOUCH)
    • handle (DEAL WITH)
  • Noun 
    • handle (TOUCH)
• Business   Verb
  • Noun 
    • get/have a handle on sth
• Examples
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