I. han ‧ dle 1 S2 W2 /ˈhændl/ BrE AmE verb
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ handle , ↑ handler , ↑ handling ; verb : ↑ handle ]
1 . DO WORK [transitive] to do the things that are necessary to complete a job:
I handled most of the paperwork.
The case is being handled by a top lawyer.
The finance department handles all the accounts.
Computers can handle huge amounts of data.
2 . DEAL WITH A SITUATION [transitive] to deal with a situation or problem by behaving in a particular way and making particular decisions:
The headmaster handled the situation very well.
I knew I had handled the matter badly.
Leave it to me. I can handle it.
Most customers were satisfied with the way their complaints were handled.
Opposition leaders will be watching carefully to see how the Prime Minister handles the crisis.
3 . DEAL WITH A PERSON [transitive] to deal with a person or behave towards them in a particular way, especially in order to keep them happy:
Some customers are quite difficult to handle.
4 . NOT BECOME UPSET [transitive] to not become upset in a difficult situation:
She can’t handle it when people criticize her.
He doesn’t handle stress very well.
5 . HOLD [transitive] to touch something or pick it up and hold it in your hands:
He had never handled a weapon before.
We teach the children to handle the animals gently.
He was roughly handled by the mob.
6 . CONTROL A VEHICLE
a) [transitive] to control the movement of a vehicle or an animal:
I didn’t know if I’d be able to handle such a large vehicle.
b) [intransitive] the way a vehicle handles is how easy it is to control
handles well/badly
The car handles well, even on wet roads.
7 . MOVE GOODS [transitive] to move goods from one place to another:
The Post Office handles nearly 2 billion letters and parcels over the Christmas period.
8 . BUY/SELL GOODS [transitive] to buy or sell goods:
Bennet was charged with handling stolen goods.
II. handle 2 S3 BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ handle , ↑ handler , ↑ handling ; verb : ↑ handle ]
[ Language: Old English ]
1 . the part of a door that you use for opening it:
Then he turned the handle and went in.
2 .
the part of an object that you use for holding it:
a knife with a carved wooden handle
the handle of his cup
a broom handle
3 . get a handle on something to start to understand a situation, subject etc:
It’s difficult to get a handle on how widespread this problem is.
⇨ fly off the handle at ↑ fly 1 (16)