hand out

phrasal verb·2 senses·particle out

Meanings

1

Give something to several people

Why “out”? Spreading outward from a centre to many recipients.

She handed out the leaflets.
She distributed the leaflets to people.
The teacher handed out books.
The teacher distributed books to people.
The teacher handed out the tests.
The teacher distributed the tests by giving one to each student.
They handed out meals to the homeless.
They gave meals as charity to the homeless.
Volunteers handed out blankets.
Volunteers distributed blankets to people in need.
2

Give a punishment, advice or judgement

The judge handed out a heavy sentence.
The judge imposed a heavy sentence.
The school handed out warnings.
The school gave warnings as punishments.

Don't confuse with

hand outhand off

Hand out means give things to several people. Hand off means give a task to someone else.

hand outhand down

Hand out means give a punishment, advice or judgement. Hand down means pass on knowledge, possessions or traditions to younger people.

Test yourself

She handed out the leaflets. What does it mean?

Nearby in the meaning map

Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.

Practice “hand out” in Sink In

Drill this and 600+ phrasal verbs with spaced repetition, organised by particle.