hand-to-hand
Americanadjective
adjective
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In close combat; also, at close quarters. For example, If the enemy came any closer they would soon be fighting hand to hand . This expression, dating from about 1400, is usually restricted to military contexts but occasionally sees more general use.
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from hand to hand . From one person to another; through a succession of persons. For example, The instructions were passed from hand to hand until everyone had seen them , or Over the generations the family albums went from hand to hand . [Mid-1500s]
Etymology
Origin of hand-to-hand
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50
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.
I’d forgotten just how good she was at hand-to-hand combat when she didn’t have a hoop skirt in her way.
From Literature
There are some respites from the training, the running and marching, the room full of tear gas, the dead man’s float test, the hand-to-hand combat, the flower planting.
From Los Angeles Times
On a recent afternoon at the city’s aging police academy, young officers rappelled down walls and simulated hand-to-hand combat.
From Los Angeles Times
As well as a turn on the shooting range, this Saturday morning programme, called "Train with the Army", also teaches civilians hand-to-hand combat, first aid and how to put on a gas mask.
From BBC
Leading up to that scene, Ellie strives to establish her own hero identity by training in hand-to-hand combat with men twice her size and sharpening her sniping skills with a long gun.
From Salon
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.
