hand down
Britishverb
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to leave to a later period or generation; bequeath
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to pass (an outgrown garment) on from one member of a family to a younger one
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law to announce or deliver (a verdict)
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Bequeath to one's heirs, as in The silver and jewels have been handed down from generation to generation in that family . [Late 1600s]
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Make and pronounce an official decision, especially the verdict of a court. For example, The judge wasted no time in handing down a sentence of contempt of court . [First half of 1900s] Also see hand on ; hand over .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"He's been very much loved. We think he's been in the same family since he was first bought and just been handed down through the generations."
From BBC
But that didn’t square with a Jan. 9 memo handed down by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that calls for AI labs to amend their defense contracts to allow “any lawful use” of their technology.
From MarketWatch
Immediately, the description of the puffin nation’s most notorious enemy, as handed down from one puffin generation to the next, flooded Major Puff’s memory.
From Literature
He shoved his hands down in his pockets.
From Literature
Slowly, like a creeping cat, she moved through the buzzing wall of bees, reached her hand down the log, and pulled out a chunk of honeycomb, dripping with golden honey.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
