HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY
To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.
Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.
THE USAGE PANEL
The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.
AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP
The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG
The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.
INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?
Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com
v. han·dled, han·dling, han·dles v.tr. 1. To touch, lift, or hold with the hands: You should wash your hands before you handle food. 2. To operate with the hands; manipulate: can handle a jigsaw. 3. To deal with or have responsibility for; conduct: handles matters of corporate law. 4. To cope with or dispose of: handles problems efficiently. 5. a. To direct, execute, or dispose of: handle an investment. b. To manage, administer to, or represent: handle a boxer. 6. To deal or trade in the purchase or sale of: a branch office that handles grain exports. v.intr. To act or function in a given way while in operation: a car that handles well in the snow. n. Idiom: 1. A part that is designed to be held or operated with the hand: the handle of a suitcase; the handle of a faucet. 2. A means of understanding or control: has a handle on the situation. 3. a. Slang A person's name. b. An alternate name or nickname, especially one chosen for self-identification on online forums or citizens band radio. 4. Games The total amount of money bet on an event or over a set period of time. handle (oneself) 1. To conduct oneself in a specified manner: handled herself well in the interview. 2. To be able to defend oneself or fend for oneself: Don't worry about me. I can handle myself. [Middle English handelen, from Old English handlian.] handle·less adj. Synonyms: handle, manipulate, wield, ply2 These verbs mean to use or operate with or as if with the hands. Handle applies widely and suggests competence: We need workers who know how to handle power tools. The therapist handled every problem with sensitivity. Manipulate connotes skillful or artful control: Some jets are controlled by manipulating a joystick. When manipulate refers to people or personal affairs, it often implies deviousness or fraud in gaining an end: I realized I'd been manipulated into helping them. Wield implies freedom, skill, ease, and effectiveness in handling physical or figurative implements: The cane cutters moved through the field, wielding their machetes. The mayor's speechwriter wields a persuasive pen. It also connotes effectiveness in the exercise of intangibles such as authority or influence: The dictator wielded enormous power. Ply suggests industry and persistence: The rower plied his oars in a steady rhythm. The term also applies to the regular and diligent engagement in a task or pursuit: She plies the banker's trade with great success. See Also Synonyms at touch. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
