From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhandshakehand‧shake /ˈhændʃeɪk/ noun [countable] 1 the act of taking someone’s right hand and shaking it, which people do when they meet or leave each other or when they have made an agreement He greeted me with a handshake and a glass of wine. Her handshake was warm and firm.2 a special signal sent between two computers, fax machines etc when they begin to exchange information —handshaking noun [uncountable] → golden handshakeCOLLOCATIONSadjectivesa firm handshake (=holding and shaking someone's hand firmly)Stan greeted me with a firm handshake.a hearty handshake (=friendly and firm)The wedding guests exchanged jokes and hearty handshakes.a limp handshake (=weak – used to show disapproval)I don't trust a man with a limp handshake.verbsgreet somebody with a handshakeHe greeted all of his guests with a handshake and a glass of wine.give somebody a handshakeShe introduced herself and gave Annie a handshake.exchange handshakesThe teams exchanged handshakes at the end of the game.
Examples from the Corpus
handshake• He stuck out his hand for a handshake.• In Gulu, a deeply religious town still torn between fear and hope, a handshake has become a sin.• He came to his front door to say goodbye, which he did with a handshake and a slight bow.• Nancy has a nice firm handshake.• Nice firm handshake, look her in the eye.• He had a good handshake, Trent thought, as they shook on the deal.• And then I saw him a couple of months ago, his voice muted by a stroke, his handshake softened.• A flurry of handshakes and he is back in the car.From Longman Business Dictionaryhandshakehand‧shake /ˈhændʃeɪk/ noun [countable]1HUMAN RESOURCESanother name for GOLDEN HANDSHAKE2COMPUTING when one computer gives information to another computer, telling it that a connection has been madeYou will get a handshake telling you what system is on the other end.3COMMERCE on a handshake if you do a deal on a handshake, you do it without making a formal contract or agreementI always did business on a handshake, but now you need 10-page contracts for everything. 