as in distributes
to give out (something) to appropriate individuals
no system yet in place for handing out room assignments
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Recent Examples of hands out
Ali Riza Dogan, the owner of Manhattan restaurant Ali Baba Mediterranean Cuisine, hands out free meals weekly and has invited homeless people to sleep in his restaurant's entryway on cold nights.
—
Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
Roxana Jullapat hands out chocolate muffins to her team.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Blakespear recognizes Women Who Inspire in Senate District 38, while Boerner hands out Women of Impact awards in the 77th Assembly District.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
The country’s economic crimes unit has opened a corruption investigation into former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland — who also once headed the committee that hands out the Nobel Peace Prize — over his ties with Epstein.
—Jill Lawless, Fortune, 7 Feb. 2026
This single fine is close to the normal total of $8 million to $10 million in all fines that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration hands out each year.
—Arkansas Online, 7 Jan. 2026
Boston Public Health Commissioner Bisola Ojikutu revealed in September that the city hands out more than 80,000 needles per month to drug users.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
The state hands out the money based on student attendance.
—Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman, 10 Sep. 2025
But Liam is with her when their family hands out enchiladas and care packages to the homeless — something Liam always asked to do with his McDonald’s Happy Meals.
—Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2025
Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
Roxana Jullapat hands out chocolate muffins to her team.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Blakespear recognizes Women Who Inspire in Senate District 38, while Boerner hands out Women of Impact awards in the 77th Assembly District.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
The country’s economic crimes unit has opened a corruption investigation into former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland — who also once headed the committee that hands out the Nobel Peace Prize — over his ties with Epstein.
—Jill Lawless, Fortune, 7 Feb. 2026
This single fine is close to the normal total of $8 million to $10 million in all fines that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration hands out each year.
—Arkansas Online, 7 Jan. 2026
Boston Public Health Commissioner Bisola Ojikutu revealed in September that the city hands out more than 80,000 needles per month to drug users.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
The state hands out the money based on student attendance.
—Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman, 10 Sep. 2025
But Liam is with her when their family hands out enchiladas and care packages to the homeless — something Liam always asked to do with his McDonald’s Happy Meals.
—Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hands out
Verb
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Food restrictions for Cubans date back to 1962, when ration books were first established, a system that distributes monthly staples.—
Sarah Moreno
Updated April 29,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
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The top half of the purifier features a glossy white, bladeless amplifier loop fan that distributes clean, hydrated air throughout the room.—
John R. Delaney,
PC Magazine,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Black folks have seen the face of the US’s prerogative state—the side of the government that dispenses arbitrary jurisprudence, discriminatory law enforcement, and violence against those who challenge its authority and dominant ideologies.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Mar. 2026
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First seen at a night-club table of menacing lowlifes, Ida, whose mother tongue is Brooklynese, suddenly switches to a heavy British accent and dispenses a torrent of highly literary sarcasms.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Cakenhagen, a café that doles out beautiful pastries; and the historic Grøften restaurant, which has retained its good vibes since 1874.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Apr. 2026
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Antica Locanda doles out comforting Sicilian dishes, from platters of fresh fish to generous bowls of seafood pasta.—
Michele Becker,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The lower level provides flexible additional space with custom storage and cedar closets.—
Sara B. Hansen,
Denver Post,
2 May 2026
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Speaking of dry skin, glycerin draws in hydration, colloidal oatmeal calms itchiness and irritation, and aloe provides an immediate, cooling relief when skin feels hot or reactive.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
2 May 2026
Verb
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At the end of the fiscal year, the DOC determines its spending across areas like prison upkeep, the cost of settling lawsuits and workers’ claims, then divides that cost among all the people who were incarcerated at the time, Barrett said.—
Laura Tillman,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
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The model divides decision-making into three layers, including base, action, and evaluation.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The state treasurer manages the state’s Pooled Money Investment Account, which invests monies on behalf of state government and local jurisdictions and allocates state bond financing for projects related to education, infrastructure, the environment or affordable housing.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
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The law allocates about $17 billion in funding for road safety programs due to rising traffic deaths nationwide.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And in a state that supplies water to much of the West, what happens on Colorado farms could shape the future of agriculture far beyond its borders.—
Callie Zanandrie,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
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Early Verdict The Infiniti QX65 supplies Nissan’s luxury arm with a contender in the crowded space of style-forward midsize luxury SUVs.—
Adam Ismail,
The Drive,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hands out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hands%20out. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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