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hand-down

hand-down

4.1
Owned before and then given or sold to another person
  • adjective
  • /ˈhændˌdaʊn/
translation icon : heredado

Examples

  • Popularity is nice, but having a list where quality counts seems as if it would be a hands-down winner in terms of usefulness.

    Blog text (25)
  • I don't see CNN, ABC, and CBS crowing that Obama is going to be the hands-down winner.

    Blog text (31)
  • This is hands-down my favorite museum in Paris: set in the sculptor's 19th-century mansion and filled with his breathtaking sculptures.

    Blog text (7)
  • She inherited a beautiful jewelry box that was a hand-down from her grandmother.

  • The children were excited to receive the hand-down clothes from their older cousins.

  • After years of using that old tablet, I decided to give it as a hand-down to my younger sibling.

Synonyms

to hand over
vshand-down
296 2.8

Give something to someone because you have to

implies passing used items voluntarily, not only under compulsion
to pass
vshand-down
  • Specialized
266 6.8

To give property or rights to another person

covers used goods given or sold to someone else, not only legal transfer
to pass on
vshand-down
134 2.7

To give something to another person, often information or a message

often refers to passing previously owned items for reuse or sale
to hand down
vshand-down
49 3.6

Give objects, knowledge, or traditions to younger people in your family

is about passing previously owned items to any other person
to pass down
vshand-down
48 2.8

Give traditions, stories, or things to younger family members

focuses more on giving used items to others rather than heritage
to sign over
vshand-down
  • Formal
18 4.9

Give ownership of something to another person by signing papers

describes ordinary giving or selling of used items without legal formality
to give away
vshand-down
  • Formal
7 4.4

Walk a bride to the groom at the start of the wedding

is about passing previously owned items to others by giving or selling
to convey
vshand-down
  • Formal
6 5.5

To officially give property or rights to someone

is the everyday idea of passing on used items rather than a legal act

Antonyms

26 2.3

People buy it in a shop or store instead of making it at home

How New

brand-new
321 1.2
hand-down
4.1
antique
109 5.6

Surface Forms

hand-down positive
hand-downer comparative
hand-downest superlative

Morphology

hand-down = hand (transparent) = down + hand

The adjective describes an item literally 'hand' + 'down' (passed from one person to another), a directly compositional compound. [Postprocessing: moved 'down' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

The word hand-down comes from the simple act of passing something 'by hand' and 'down' from one person to another, literally hand + down. So a hand-down item is something that was owned before and then given or sold on to someone else.