# hand out

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/hand-out
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. to distribute

phrasal verb · CEFR A2

to give something to everyone in a group.

For teachers: to distribute items to a group of people, typically by hand. This phrasal verb is separable.

- The teacher started to hand out the exam papers at exactly nine o'clock.
- Volunteers spent the afternoon handing out flyers to commuters near the station to raise awareness for the local charity event.

Usage: The verb is separable; you can say 'hand out the papers' or 'hand the papers out'.

Teaching tip: This is very common in educational and office contexts. Remind students that 'pass out' is a synonym but can also mean to lose consciousness.

### 2. to deliver a formal decision

phrasal verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

to officially give a punishment or a decision.

For teachers: to deliver a formal judgment, sentence, or piece of advice, often from a position of authority.

- The judge will hand out the sentence for the crime tomorrow morning.
- The tribunal is expected to hand out a significant fine to the corporation for its repeated violations of environmental safety regulations.

Usage: Often used with 'sentence', 'punishment', or 'justice' as the object.

Teaching tip: This sense is much more formal than the 'distribute' sense and is usually found in news reports about court cases.

## Examples

- The teacher will hand out the test papers now.
- Volunteers stood on the street corner to hand out flyers for the upcoming local election.
- The charity organization managed to hand out over five hundred blankets to those displaced by the sudden flooding in the valley.

## Usage notes

- Teaching tip: contrast with 'give out' (very similar) and 'distribute' (more formal); 'hand out' specifically implies the physical act of passing items from one person to others.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.