Hand (noun) — the part of the human body at the end of the arm, with a palm and five fingers. Also: a pointer on a clock or watch; a round of applause.
Hand (verb) — to give or pass something directly to someone.
What Does Hand Mean?
Hand comes from Old English hand (also spelled hond), directly related to Old Norse hönd, Old High German hant, and Gothic handus. The Proto-Germanic root is *handuz. The word has been in continuous use for over 1,500 years and is one of the most common nouns in the English language.
As a noun, hand has several distinct senses. Its core meaning is the body part at the end of your arm — "She raised her hand." It also refers to the pointer on a clock face — "The minute hand moves faster than the hour hand." In informal contexts it can mean a round of applause — "Let's give the speaker a big hand." In older or literary English it can mean a person's handwriting — "I recognised her hand immediately."
As a verb, hand means to pass something directly to another person: "Could you hand me that pen?" It forms many useful phrasal verbs: hand in (submit), hand out (distribute), hand over (transfer control), hand back (return), and hand down (pass to a younger generation).
Hand also appears in an enormous number of fixed expressions and idioms. The phrase on the other hand — used in the provided example sentence — is one of the most common discourse markers in written English, introducing a contrasting viewpoint.
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Level / Note |
|---|---|
| Please wash your hands before dinner. | A2 — basic noun, plural form |
| Could you hand me the salt, please? | B1 — verb: to pass directly |
| On the other hand, spoken and written English have different vocabulary needs. | B1 — fixed expression: contrasting viewpoint |
| She gained first-hand experience of working in a hospital during her placement. | B2 — compound adjective: direct, from the source |
| The outgoing director handed over the project files to her successor at the end of the quarter. | C1 — phrasal verb: to transfer responsibility formally |
Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| shake hands | They shook hands and agreed on the deal. |
| lend a hand | Could you lend me a hand with these boxes? |
| on the other hand | It is cheap; on the other hand, the quality is poor. |
| by hand | All the cards were made by hand. |
| hand in hand | They walked hand in hand along the beach. |
| give someone a hand | The audience gave the performers a big hand. |
| first-hand | I have first-hand experience of the problem. |
| in good hands | Don't worry — the project is in good hands. |
| hand over | He was asked to hand over his phone at the border. |
| wash one's hands of | She washed her hands of the whole affair. |
Usage Notes
Noun or verb? The word hand functions as both a noun and a verb without any change in spelling or pronunciation. Context makes the difference: "Give me your hand" (noun) versus "Please hand me your ticket" (verb).
Phrasal verbs: The phrasal verbs formed with hand are separable. You can say "hand in your essay" or "hand your essay in". When using a pronoun, separation is required: "hand it in" (not "hand in it").
Discourse marker: On the other hand always contrasts with a previously stated point. It must follow a statement of one side of an argument before you can introduce the other side. Do not use it to start a paragraph unless the contrasting idea was established earlier.
Register: Give someone a hand (applause) is informal/spoken. In formal writing, prefer "applaud" or "received a warm reception".
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
On the other hand, I like coffee. (no contrasting point established first)
Tea is refreshing. On the other hand, coffee gives you more energy. (contrast clearly set up)
She handed in it yesterday. (pronoun must come before the particle)
She handed it in yesterday.
He shook her hand hands. (redundant plural)
He shook her hand. / They shook hands. (both correct — note the difference)
Word Forms
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| Noun singular | the hand, a hand |
| Noun plural | both hands, shake hands |
| Verb base | Please hand me that file. |
| Verb 3rd person singular | She hands out the worksheets. |
| Verb past simple | He handed over the keys. |
| Verb present participle | She is handing back the tests. |
| Compound adjective | first-hand experience, second-hand information |
| Adverb | made by hand, delivered by hand |