Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to handle with care

to handle with care

4 3.5
To treat someone or something gently to avoid harm
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : manejar con cuidado
  • Though they are related, date and time calculations should be handled with great care.

Examples

  • Keep the apparatus clean and handle it with care.

    Academic text (2018)

  • Handle with care, and realize how blessed you are to have her!

    Blog text (29)

  • The shared experience of truth in any form is a powerful thing indeed and should be handled with care.

    Blog text (6)

  • You should know your bags are not handled with care.

    The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002)

  • All sources that might cause fire should be handled with care, such as oil, gas, and electricity.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Unless the issues are handled with care, they can evolve into serious crises.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Thus, when they returned the ark to the Israelites, they handled it with great care.

    Blog text (19)

  • As we continued on, we noticed there were several guild members in attendance, all wearing white gloves in order to handle the quilts with care and respect.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Some animals, like brittle stars, are quite fragile—handle with care.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Please handle with care when lifting the fragile vase to avoid breaking it.

Synonyms

to handle with kid gloves
vsto handle with care
  • Informal
1 7.0

Treat someone very gently to avoid upsetting them

treats people or things gently and cautiously to prevent damage or harm

Antonyms

to mishandle
20 4.9

Deal with something badly so it causes problems or damage

How Carefully

to cradle
30 4.1
to handle with care
4 3.5

Surface Forms

handle with care infinitive
handled with care past
handled with care past participle
handling with care present participle
handles with care third person singular

Morphology

handle + with + care

The phrase 'handle with care' is directly compositional: 'handle' (manipulate), 'with' (accompanied by) and 'care' (caution) combine to mean 'treat gently/cautiously'. This literal instruction is common on labels and mirrors similar constructions in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the parts should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Handle with care began as a label on fragile packages, telling workers to handle objects gently and to use care so the items inside would not break. So when we say handle with care today, we mean 'to treat something or someone gently and cautiously'.