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hand down
verb
handed down; handing down; hands down
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
Giuliani was disbarred on Tuesday in a decision handed down by the Appellate Division First Department in New York.
—
Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 2 July 2024
The Supreme Court heard the case on its last day of arguments in April and is handing down its decision Monday, on the last day of its term.
—
Bart Jansen, The Courier-Journal, 1 July 2024
White Chimneys is not a property that has been handed down through generations of Carolla’s family.
—
Annie Proulx, The New Yorker, 30 June 2024
But a federal judge in Idaho ruled for the administration and handed down a narrow order that permits abortions in certain medical emergencies.
—
David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2024
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hand down.' 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
1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near hand down
Cite this Entry
“Hand down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand%20down. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Kids Definition
hand down
verb1
: 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 verb1
: 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)
More from Merriam-Webster on hand down
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hand down
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