handle

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   The part of an object that you hold to use or carry it.

   I picked up the hammer by the handle.

2. 2
   verb

   To deal with a person, problem, or situation.

   She handled the difficult customer very calmly.

3. 3
   verb

   To touch, hold, or move something with your hands.

   Please don't handle the fruit unless you're going to buy it.

4. 4
   noun

   A name or nickname used online or on the radio.

   What's your handle on social media?

Common collocations

• metal handle Adjective + noun
• wooden handle Adjective + noun
• grab the handle Verb + noun
• pull the handle Verb + noun
• turn the handle Verb + noun
• handle a case Verb + noun
• handle a situation Verb + noun
• handle pressure Verb + noun

From Middle English handlen, from Old English handlian (“to handle, feel, deal with, discuss”), from Proto-West Germanic *handulōn, from Proto-Germanic *handulōną (“to take, grip, feel”), equivalent to hand + -le. Cognate with West Frisian handelje, hanneljen, hanljen (“to handle, treat”), Dutch handelen (“to handle, deal, act, negotiate”), German handeln (“to act, trade, negotiate, behave”), Swedish handla (“to buy, trade, deal”), Icelandic höndla (“to handle”).

Topics