Meaning & use
barehand
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Meanings
verbtransitivesportinformal
To catch, grab or handle something using only your bare hand, without a glove or tool.
Grammar: Takes an object: he barehanded the ball.
Patterns
- barehand something
The shortstop barehanded the ground ball and threw to first.
She barehanded a hot pan and dropped it with a yelp.
The fisherman barehanded a slippery trout from the stream.
adjectivebefore a nounrare
Done or performed using bare hands without gloves or tools, as in a barehand catch.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: a barehand grab; barehanded is more usual.
The outfielder made an impressive barehand catch.
It was a barehand rescue with no equipment.
Word forms
| third person singular | barehands |
|---|---|
| past tense | barehanded |
| past participle | barehanded |
| -ing form | barehanding |
Common combinations
- barehand a ball
- The fielder barehanded the ball and fired it home.
- barehand a catch
- He tried to barehand a catch in the stands.
- barehand a fish
- Some people barehand a catfish in shallow water.
- barehand grab
- The barehand grab saved the glass from breaking.
Synonyms and how they differ
- handle
- It is general and does not stress the absence of a glove, as barehand does.
- grab
- It means to take quickly and does not say whether a glove is used.
- catch
- It describes taking a moving object, while barehand adds that you used no glove or tool.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: barehand or barehanded?
barehand vs barehanded
Barehanded is the usual form for an adjective or adverb, while barehand is mainly a verb.
Practice
The fielder dropped his glove and ___ the ball before throwing it.
Choose one answer.
Barehanded means he caught it with the bare hand, no glove. Gloved is the opposite and does not fit the sentence's action.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “barehand”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.