bear a hand

verb

To make haste; to help quickly.

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Meanings

verbbear a hand (third-person singular simple present bears a hand, present participle bearing a hand, simple past bore a hand, past participle borne a hand)

present singular third person bears a hand · participle present bearing a hand · past bore a hand · participle past borne a hand · alternative bear-a-hand

  1. idiomaticimperativenauticalTo make haste; to help quickly.

    The Old Wife is ready to bear a hand in the work of harvesting.

    1911, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 7
    1 more example

    Hawkins, neither you nor I are much account at the shooting; we’ll stand by to load and bear a hand.

    1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island
Cite this entry
APA

bear a hand. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bear%20a%20hand

MLA

“bear a hand.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bear%20a%20hand. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bear a hand,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bear%20a%20hand.

Source: bear a hand on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.