Meanings
- Held in the hand or hands.First known use 14th c.
Grab a Wincheter in hand and take the land.
1 more example
Pen in hand, I turned back to the letter I was writing.
- Under consideration; currently being dealt with or addressed.First known use 14th c.
Observations that are foreign to the matter in hand
2 more examples
'What have they to do with the matter in hand - the murder on this train?'
1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 6, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 119They form part of the vast electrification and reconstruction schemes which have been in hand for a number of years at Liverpool Street, and in suburban Essex, and include the rearrangement of tracks, of which the Ilford flyover forms part; the modern signal boxes, now needed only at key points; the electric control or sub-stations; and a large electric car shed.
1951 January, R. A. H. Weight, “A Railway Recorder in Essex and Hertfordshire”, in Railway Magazine, page 44 - Under control.First known use 18th c.
You need to get this situation in hand, and fast.
Antonyms: out of hand
- UKhobbiesStill to be played.First known use 19th c.
At the other end […] the Sounders completed a run that had taken them from 15 points off the lead, to first place in the Supporters Shield standings with two games in hand.
2013 September 16, The Guardian
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseIn physical possession; at one's disposal.
prepositional phraseUnder consideration; currently being dealt with or addressed.
prepositional phraseUnder control.
More synonyms by meaning
adverbunder control
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
French sous la main, en main
- sous la mainat one's disposal
- en mainheld in the hand
- sous contrôleunder control
Italian in mano, in mano
- in manoheld in the hand
- in manounder control
Latin sub frenō, in frenīs
- sub frenōunder control
- in frenīsunder control
Tamil கையில், கையில்
- கையில் (kaiyil)at one's disposal
- கையில் (kaiyil)held in the hand
- கையில் (kaiyil)under control
Cite this entry
in hand. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20hand
“in hand.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20hand. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in hand,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20hand.
Source: in hand on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.