Meaning & use
handle
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To deal with a situation or task, using skill to cope with it.
Grammar: Takes an object: handle the complaint.
Patterns
- handle something
- handle someone/something well
She handled the complaint calmly.
Can you handle the pressure of the job?
The clerk handles all the payments.
verbtransitive
To touch or hold something with your hands, often in order to move or use it.
Grammar: Takes an object: handle the box.
Patterns
- handle something with care
Please handle the glass with care.
Wash your hands before you handle food.
He handled the old book gently.
verbintransitive
To respond in a certain way when you steer or control a vehicle or machine.
Grammar: No object, with an adverb: the car handles well.
Patterns
- handle well
The car handles beautifully on wet roads.
The truck handled badly in the wind.
The boat handles well in rough water.
nouncountable
The part of an object that you hold in your hand to carry, move or use it.
Grammar: Often with the object: door handle.
Patterns
- the handle of something
The handle of the mug broke off.
He grabbed the door handle and pulled.
She held the knife by its handle.
nouncountableinformal
A name or username that a person uses online or on a radio.
Grammar: Informal: what's your handle?
Patterns
- a handle for someone
His gaming handle is Blue Fox.
She changed her handle on social media.
What's your handle on the forum?
Word forms
| third person singular | handles |
|---|---|
| past tense | handled |
| past participle | handled |
| -ing form | handling |
| plural | handles |
Common combinations
- handle a situation
- The manager handled the situation well.
- handle with care
- The parcel says handle with care.
- door handle
- The door handle was loose.
- handle the pressure
- He handles the pressure of exams calmly.
- handle a complaint
- The shop handles complaints by email.
- can't handle
- I can't handle all this noise.
Synonyms and how they differ
- manage
- Manage stresses organizing or controlling something, while handle stresses coping with it.
- cope with
- Cope with suggests facing difficulty, whereas handle can be neutral.
- deal with
- Deal with is broader and can mean just taking action, while handle implies skill.
- grip
- Grip is the physical hold, but handle may be the part you hold or the act of managing.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: handle or handel?
handle vs handel
Handel is the surname of the composer; the common word is spelled handle.
Practice
Which sentence uses handle as a verb meaning cope with?
Choose one answer.
Only the first sentence uses handle as a verb to cope with something. The others use it as a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “handle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.