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handshaking

handshaking

2 2.7
Holding and moving another person's hand as a greeting or sign of agreement
  • noun
  • /ˈhændˌʃeɪkɪŋ/
translation icon : apretón de manos
  • At the business conference, there was a lot of handshaking as attendees greeted one another.
  • handshaking session
  • handshaking and kissing

Ah, you know, so handshaking, the fist bump, it kind of taken over a little.

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Examples

  • There was a lot of handshaking, a lot of congratulations.

  • He was planning to leave town right after the handshaking, without even a public goodbye to Minnie.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • We knew that, despite all the diplomacy and the handshaking and the rhetoric, to build a really better world sometimes means having to tear the old one down.

  • While it seemed that the majority of attendees this year were "providers" rather than "buyers," anyone who took a proactive approach to handshaking was sure to walk away with at least a handful of good leads.

    Blog text (28)
  • A stop at his campaign headquarters in Seattle followed, then more sign-waving in Tacoma, a visit to a phone bank in Auburn, and still more handshaking in Kent before Inslee's departure for an Election Night party in the grand ballroom at the Westin in Seattle.

    Blog text (6)
  • After the presentation, the speaker engaged in handshaking with the audience to celebrate a successful event.

  • When the two leaders met for the first time, their handshaking signified the start of a new partnership.

Synonyms

handshake
vshandshaking
117 1.0

A short greeting where two people hold and shake hands

is the ongoing action form rather than the single word noun
shake
vshandshaking
8 1.0

An act of holding and moving someone's hand up and down as a greeting

is the ongoing action form rather than this brief noun label
handclasp
vshandshaking
1 2.9

A firm hold of another person's hand as a greeting or agreement

is the continuous action form rather than a short noun name

How Firm

handshaking
2 2.7
soft touch
1 3.7

Surface Forms

handshaking singular
handshakings plural

Morphology

handshaking = handshake (transparent) = hand + shake + ing

The noun is transparently formed from 'handshake' plus '-ing', referring directly to the action of shaking hands.

Etymology

Handshaking comes from the simple joining of hand and shake, literally meaning 'moving the hand'. A helpful way to remember it is to think of people shaking hands as a 'greeting' or a sign of 'agreement', which is why handshaking shows trust or respect.