as in management
the act or activity of looking after and making decisions about something
the handling of proper order in the courtroom is the job of the sergeant at arms
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in managing
to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently
as host of a live TV talk show, she must handle any situation that comes up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in treating
to behave toward in a stated way
handles all requests professionally, even when customers are rude
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in operating
to control the mechanical operation of
learned how to handle basic woodworking power tools
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in supervising
to look after and make decisions about
she takes care of the flower beds, and he handles all the lawn care
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5
as in tolerating
to put up with (something painful or difficult)
I can't handle much more of this foul weather
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in overseeing
to be in charge of
I'll be handling the team's workouts while the leader is on vacation
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of handling
Ie Creative Studio, Interesting Engineering, 8 Jan. 2026
On that standard, WBD’s handling of Paramount’s bid raises red flags.
—Mark Desjardine, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Judith Martin, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
Luminosity Pictures is handling international sales and will continue dealmaking at the AFM next week.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for handling
Noun
For debris handling, Beatbot highlights an ultra-large six-liter debris capacity with fine filtration, and its CES release describes an optional three-micron ultra-fine filter for tighter particle capture.
—Verb
Any recommendations for better handling this?
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for handling
Noun
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First selected as a 20-year-old for the white-ball series against Australia in 2024, his introduction into the England environment was love at first sight for all the management involved.—
-
Austin chef David Bull opened the restaurant at the Crazy Water Hotel in Mineral Wells before that hotel changed management.—
Verb
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Her mother accompanied her to appointments, managing logistics and providing emotional support.—
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Tina Olson, a managing attorney with the Juvenile Lifer Unit in the State Appellate Defender Office, says the decision doesn't minimize the crimes committed – or the victims impacted – but instead ensures defendants are given fair punishments.—
Verb
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Investors will likely have questions about the upcoming Alzheimer's psychosis trials – called the ADEPT program – for Bristol Myers Squibb's Cobenfy, a prescription medication approved in late 2024 for treating adults with schizophrenia.—
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New research published in The New England Journal of Medicine last year showed that treating men for bacterial infection reduced the recurrence of bacterial vaginosis in women.—
Verb
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As lithium-ion batteries are increasingly deployed in electric vehicles, aviation, and energy systems operating in cold climates, their performance under sub-zero conditions has become a critical technological bottleneck.—
-
The warning cited reports of armed groups operating on Venezuelan roads.—
Verb
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Although Shirley’s video implied the day care was empty, several of the violations noted in that report involved overcrowding, with too many children in some rooms and too few adults supervising them.—
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That’s one of the big goals of the San Diego Public Library’s winter reading challenge, explains Emily Derry, the library’s supervising librarian for youth and family services.—
Verb
-
The United States is apparently tolerating having Rodríguez in charge, for now.—
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Steering a flailing economy, presiding over Central America's highest homicide rate, and tolerating corruption in her own ranks Her party’s candidate, once the front-runner, trails in a distant third at 19 percent.—
Verb
-
Marcano Tábata is widely identified by human rights groups as part of the command structure overseeing detention centers where political prisoners have been held, including facilities accused of systematic abuse and torture.—
-
Calvello will serve as Mamdani’s chief government spokesperson, overseeing City Hall’s press office, with a portfolio focused on national issues, according to sources.—
Noun
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Farmers were up to the task, because the value of their land was skyrocketing, and many bankers encouraged them to take on large amounts of debt to increase the size of their operations (a move that would come back to haunt them during the farm crisis of the 1980s).—
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President Daniel Noboa launched an armed campaign against gangs and declared states of emergency in several provinces, including Manabi, deploying the military to support police operations.—
Cite this Entry
“Handling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handling. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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