hand

A2 · Elementary Countable noun Informal

n. an act of helping someone with a task.

n. assistance or aid provided to complete a physical or mental task.

“Could you give me a hand with these heavy grocery bags?”

“The neighbours offered a hand with the garden clearance, making short work of the overgrown brambles that had blocked the path.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun

n. a person who does physical work, especially on a farm or a ship.

n. a person employed for manual labour, typically in an industrial, agricultural, or maritime context.

“The farm hired extra hands during the busy harvest season.”

“The captain ordered all hands on deck to secure the rigging as the storm clouds gathered on the horizon.”

A2 · Elementary Countable noun

n. one of the long pieces on a clock that points to the numbers.

n. a pointer on a dial, such as those on a clock, watch, or gauge.

“The big hand of the clock was pointing exactly at twelve.”

“The minute hand swept steadily across the dial, marking the final seconds before the launch sequence was initiated.”

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Theater Informal

n. the sound of people clapping their hands to show they liked something.

n. an instance of applause or clapping by an audience to show approval.

“Let's give a big hand to our guest speaker tonight.”

“The pianist received a huge hand from the audience after her masterful performance of the concerto.”

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. the set of cards a player holds during a game.

n. the set of cards dealt to a player in a single round of a card game.

Español:mano

“He looked at his hand and realised he had a winning set of cards.”

“Despite being dealt a poor hand, the professional player managed to bluff his way into winning the final pot.”

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Formal · Literary

n. the particular way a person writes with a pen.

n. a person's characteristic style of penmanship or handwriting.

“The letter was written in a beautiful, flowing hand.”

“The historian immediately recognised the queen's distinctive hand in the margins of the ancient manuscript.”

A2 · Elementary

v. to give something to someone using your hand.

v. to pass or deliver something to another person physically.

“Please hand me that book on the top shelf.”

“The witness was asked to hand the documents to the judge for further inspection during the trial.”