Meanings
- Within easy reach; nearby.
I don't have the information at hand, but I can look it up.
1 more example
The King your brother is now hard at hand, Meete with the foole, and rid your royall ſhoulders Of ſuch a burden, as outweighs the ſands And all the craggie rockes of Caſpea.
c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene iiiSynonyms: handy, to hand, on hand, at one's fingertips, at one's fingers' ends
- Near; soon.
Blessed is hee that readeth, and they that heare the words of this prophesie, and keepe those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Revelation 1:31 more example
At last, one morning, the propeller was quiet, and the Narwhal was pervaded with an atmosphere of excitement. He felt it, as did the other dogs, and knew that a change was at hand.
1903 July, Jack London, “Into the Primitive”, in The Call of the Wild, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., →OCLC, page 39Synonyms: approaching, imminent
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseWithin easy reach; nearby.
prepositional phraseNear; soon.
prepositional phraseCurrently receiving attention.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveclose in space; within reach
adjectiveclose in time; about to occur
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Catalan a mà
- a màwithin easy reach; nearby
Chinese Mandarin 手頭 /手头, 身旁
- 手頭 /手头 (shǒutóu)within easy reach; nearby
- 身旁 (shēnpáng)within easy reach; nearby
- 身邊 /身边 (shēnbiān)within easy reach; nearby
- 手邊 /手边 (shǒubiān)within easy reach; nearby
- 手下 (shǒuxià)within easy reach; nearby
- 即將發生的 /即将发生的 (jíjiāng fāshēng de)near; soon; approaching; imminent
- 即將到來的 /即将到来的 (jíjiāng dàolái de)near; soon; approaching; imminent
- 臨近的 /临近的 (línjìn de)near; soon; approaching; imminent
- 眼前的 (yǎnqián de)currently receiving attention
Czech po ruce
- po rucewithin easy reach; nearby
Dutch voorhanden
- voorhandenwithin easy reach; nearby
Esperanto je la mano
- je la manowithin easy reach; nearby
Estonian käepärast, käeulatuses
- käepärastwithin easy reach; nearby
- käeulatusesnear; soon; approaching; imminent
- saabumasnear; soon; approaching; imminent
- eelseisevnear; soon; approaching; imminent
Finnish käsillä, käsillä
- käsilläwithin easy reach; nearby
- käsillänear; soon; approaching; imminent
- käsilläcurrently receiving attention
French sous la main, à portée de main
- sous la mainwithin easy reach; nearby
- à portée de mainwithin easy reach; nearby
- prochenear; soon; approaching; imminent
- concernécurrently receiving attention
- en questioncurrently receiving attention
German griffbereit, parat
- griffbereitwithin easy reach; nearby
- paratwithin easy reach; nearby
- greifbarnear; soon; approaching; imminent
Hungarian kéznél van
- kéznél vanwithin easy reach; nearby
Italian a portata di mano, in discussione
- a portata di manowithin easy reach; nearby
- in discussionecurrently receiving attention
Japanese せまっている
- せまっている (sematteiru)near; soon; approaching; imminent
Latin praes, propter
- praeswithin easy reach; nearby
- propterwithin easy reach; nearby
- in promptuwithin easy reach; nearby
Māori tatanga
- tatangawithin easy reach; nearby
Norwegian Bokmål for hånden
- for håndenwithin easy reach; nearby
Polish pod ręką, na podorędziu
- pod rękąwithin easy reach; nearby
- na podorędziuwithin easy reach; nearby
- wkrótcenear; soon; approaching; imminent
- niedługonear; soon; approaching; imminent
- bieżącycurrently receiving attention
Portuguese à mão
- à mãowithin easy reach; nearby
Russian под руко́й
- под руко́й (pod rukój)within easy reach; nearby
Spanish a mano
- a manowithin easy reach; nearby
Swedish till hands, i antåg
- till handswithin easy reach; nearby
- i antågnear; soon; approaching; imminent
Turkish el altında
- el altındawithin easy reach; nearby
Cite this entry
at hand. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20hand
“at hand.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20hand. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “at hand,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20hand.
Source: at hand on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.