WordWeb Online

1. (with 'in') guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
   "my fate is in your hands"; "too much power in the president's hands";
   - custody
    
2. The force of workers available
   - work force, workforce, manpower, men

1. The (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
   "he had the hands of a surgeon";
   - manus, mitt, paw
    
2. A hired labourer on a farm or ranch
   "the hired hand fixed the railing"; "a ranch hand";
   - hired hand, hired man
    
3. Something written by hand
   "his hand was illegible";
   - handwriting, script
    
4. Ability
   "he wanted to try his hand at singing"
    
5. A position given by its location to the side of an object
   "objections were voiced on every hand"
    
6. The cards held in a card game by a given player at any given time
   "he kept trying to see my hand"; "I didn't hold a good hand all evening";
   - deal
    
7. One of two sides of an issue
   "on the one hand..., but on the other hand..."
    
8. A rotating pointer on the face of a timepiece
   "the big hand counts the minutes"
    
9. A unit of length equal to 4 inches; used in measuring horses
   "the horse stood 20 hands"
    
10. A member of the crew of a ship
    "all hands on deck"
     
11. A card player in a game of bridge
    "we need a 4th hand for bridge";
    - bridge player
     
12. A round of applause to signify approval
    "give the little lady a great big hand"
     
13. Terminal part of the forelimb in certain vertebrates (e.g. apes or kangaroos)
    "the kangaroo's forearms seem undeveloped but the powerful five-fingered hands are skilled at feinting and clouting"
     
14. Physical assistance
    "give me a hand with the chores";
    - helping hand

1. Place into the hands or custody of
   "hand me the spoon, please";
   - pass, reach, pass on, turn over, give
    
2. Guide, conduct or usher somewhere
   "hand the elderly lady into the taxi"

Type of: ability, accumulation, aggregation, aid, applause, assemblage, assist, assistance, card player, clapping, collection, conduct, crewman, direct, extremity, force, forepaw, guardianship, guide, hand clapping, handbreadth, handsbreadth, help, jack, keeping, laborer [US], labourer [Brit, Cdn], lead, manual laborer [US], manual labourer [Brit, Cdn], personnel, pointer, power, safekeeping, sailor, side, take, transfer, writing

Part of: arm, homo, horologe [archaic], human, human being, man, timekeeper, timepiece

Encyclopedia: Hands, John