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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Grand jury handed down a four-count federal indictment Earlier this month, a federal grand jury indicted Mangione on four counts — murder through the use of a firearm, a firearms offense and two counts of stalking. Juliana Kim, NPR, 25 Apr. 2025 Judge Maryanne Trump Barry, President Trump’s late sister, handed down Manna’s sentence in 1989. John Annese, New York Daily News, 23 Apr. 2025 The court handed down its decision at a later hour than any other emergency application this term. Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 21 Apr. 2025 Shortly after midnight early Saturday morning, the Supreme Court handed down a brief order forbidding the Trump administration from removing a group of Venezuelan immigrants from the United States without due process. Ian Millhiser, Vox, 19 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hand down

Word History

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hand down was in 1651

Cite this Entry

“Hand down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand%20down. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.

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)

More from Merriam-Webster on hand down

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