handicap

1 of 2

noun

hand·​i·​cap ˈhan-di-ˌkap How to pronounce handicap (audio)
-dē-
1
a
: a race or contest in which an artificial advantage is given or disadvantage imposed on a contestant to equalize chances of winning
b
: an advantage given or disadvantage imposed usually in the form of points, strokes, weight to be carried, or distance from the target or goal
2
a
: a disadvantage that makes achievement unusually difficult
b
sometimes offensive : a physical disability

handicap

2 of 2

verb

handicapped; handicapping

transitive verb

1
a
: to give a handicap to
b
: to assess the relative winning chances of (contestants) or the likely winner of (a contest)
2
: to put at a disadvantage

Examples of handicap in a Sentence

Noun His shyness was a handicap in his job. She's been practicing a lot and her handicap has gone down from 18 to 12. Verb It's very hard to handicap the election at this point. the baseball player's small size did not handicap him in the least
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In 1936, famed Olympic runner Jesse Owens raced a horse in a 100-yard dash and won thanks in part to a 40-yard handicap). Emily Barone, Time, 19 July 2017 LNK classes have done everything from installing handicap doors at Redwood to creating a Healthy Newborn site for Transitions that serves mothers going through addiction recovery. Brent Cooper, Cincinnati.com, 17 July 2017 A vehicle was blocking the handicap ramp Tuesday in the first block of Taft Street. The Aegis, 14 July 2017 Participants must be 21 years old or older and have an official USGA handicap. Naperville Sun, 7 July 2017 When Britain leaves the EU, British financial services companies would lose the automatic right to operate in all the other 27 EU states, a big handicap. Washington Post, 23 June 2017 One man, who has a handicap, had to escape through a window, according to media reports. Robert A. Cronkleton, kansascity.com, 21 June 2017 With a USGA 1.3 handicap, Mercer is a latecomer to golf, having taken it up in 2005 at the end of his freshman high school year at Gary (Ind.) Roosevelt. Gregg Voss, chicagotribune.com, 29 June 2017 These are just a few examples of the many companies that have excelled by treating transparency not as a handicap, but as a competitive advantage. Sophie Bakalar, Fortune, 24 June 2017
Verb
Meanwhile, the centrist Catholics—whom Hitler shrewdly recognized as his most formidable potential adversaries—were handicapped in any desire to join with the Democratic Socialists by their fear of the Communists. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024 What makes a likely November matchup between Joe Biden and Donald Trump so hard to handicap is not just that the early polling is close. Craig Gilbert, Journal Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2024 Giving Wilkins the inflexible $22.1 million franchise tag would have handicapped Miami in free agency. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024 Some of these factors have handicapped many startups in the space, including British company Arrival’s U.K. arm which entered administration earlier this month (it was delisted from Nasdaq shortly before). Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 20 Feb. 2024 Like the Tesla, the VW ID.4 is eligible for the full $7,500 tax credit, and manages to be a little more involving to drive while also being handicapped by some poor choices in terms of HMI, plus a cabin that can feel quite spartan. Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 8 Dec. 2023 Poor and costly connectivity will handicap the efforts of these countries to participate in the dynamic global digital marketplace, currently estimated to be worth 15% of global GDP, and potentially increasing to 30% by 2030. Tshilidzi Marwala, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2024 Funding Deadlines Approaching Johnson is also handicapped by a time crunch to get funding measures passed. Julia Johnson, Washington Examiner, 8 Jan. 2024 The cost of the project is expected to exceed more than 30 percent of the value of the 1931 building, a threshold that triggers a mandate under state law to make old public buildings handicap accessible. James Vaznis, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'handicap.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

obsolete English handicap, a game in which forfeit money was held in a cap, from hand in cap

First Known Use

Noun

1751, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of handicap was in 1751

Dictionary Entries Near handicap

Cite this Entry

“Handicap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/handicap. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

handicap

1 of 2 noun
hand·​i·​cap ˈhan-di-ˌkap How to pronounce handicap (audio)
1
: a race or contest in which competitors with different levels of ability are given an artificial advantage or disadvantage to equalize chances of winning
also : the advantage or disadvantage given
2
a
: a disadvantage that makes progress or success difficult
being lazy was a handicap
b
sometimes offensive : a physical disability

handicap

2 of 2 verb
handicapped; handicapping
1
: to give a handicap to
2
: to put at a disadvantage

Medical Definition

handicap

noun
hand·​i·​cap ˈhan-di-ˌkap How to pronounce handicap (audio)
1
: a disadvantage that makes achievement unusually difficult
2
sometimes offensive : a physical disability

Legal Definition

handicap

noun
han·​di·​cap
: a physical disability (as a bodily impairment or a devastating disease)

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