- 1 [transitive] to deal with a situation, a person, an area of work or a strong emotion handle something/somebody A new man was appointed to handle the crisis. She's very good at handling her patients. The sale was handled by Adams Commercial. We can handle up to 500 calls an hour at our new offices. We all have to learn to handle stress. This matter has been handled very badly. (informal) ‘Any problems?’ ‘Nothing I can't handle.’ (informal) I've got to go. I can't handle it any more (= deal with a difficult situation). handle yourself (informal) You have to know how to handle yourself in this business (= know the right way to behave). Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbcompetently, efficiently, properly, … verb + handlebe able to, be unable to, can, … prepositionwith See full entry touch with hands
- 2 [transitive] handle something to touch, hold or move something with your hands Our cat hates being handled. The label on the box said: ‘Fragile. Handle with care.’ Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbcarefully, with care, carelessly, … See full entry control
- 3 [transitive] handle something to control a vehicle, an animal, a tool, etc. I wasn't sure if I could handle such a powerful car. She's a difficult horse to handle.
- 4[intransitive] handle well/badly to be easy/difficult to drive or control The car handles well in any weather. See related entries: Driving buy/sell
- 5[transitive] handle something to buy or sell something synonym deal in They were arrested for handling stolen goods. Word OriginOld English handle (noun), handlian (verb), from hand.Extra examples A label on the crate read: ‘Handle with care’. Garden tools can be hazardous if carelessly handled. He wasn’t mentally equipped to handle this situation. Her next question was not so easily handled. I think you handled that situation very well. Large meetings are more difficult to handle. Large meetings are notoriously less productive and more difficult to handle. Many of the prisoners were roughly handled; some were killed. She handled the crisis with total assurance. She knew how to handle publicity. The car is heavy and quite difficult to handle The library routinely handles a wide variety of enquiries. This issue may need to be handled carefully. This was a problem that I just couldn’t handle. He doesn’t really know how to handle a glider safely yet. He ran through the details of loading and handling the gun. I wasn’t sure if I could handle such a powerful car. Riders have to learn how to handle their machines in all conditions. She’s a difficult horse to handle. The books are ancient, and need to be handled very carefully. The label on the box said: ‘Fragile. Handle with care.’ They were arrested for handling stolen goods. This type of car handles well in all weather conditions. ‘Any problems?’ ‘ Nothing I can’t handle.’ I’ve got to go. I can’t handle it any more. She’s very good at handling patients. The matter has been handled very badly.
verb jump to other results
BrE BrE//ˈhændl//; NAmE NAmE//ˈhændl//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they handle BrE BrE//ˈhændl//; NAmE NAmE//ˈhændl//
he / she / it handles BrE BrE//ˈhændlz//; NAmE NAmE//ˈhændlz//
past simple handled BrE BrE//ˈhændld//; NAmE NAmE//ˈhændld//
past participle handled BrE BrE//ˈhændld//; NAmE NAmE//ˈhændld//
-ing form handling BrE BrE//ˈhændlɪŋ//; NAmE NAmE//ˈhændlɪŋ//
DrivingCheck pronunciation: handle
