handle

I UK [ˈhænd(ə)l] / US verb
Word forms "handle":
present tense I/you/we/they handle he/she/it handles present participle handling past tense handled past participle handled
***

1) [transitive] to take action in order to deal with a difficult situation

The government was criticized for the way it handled the crisis.

handle something well:

Congratulations! You handled that really well.

badly/poorly handled:

We felt that the dispute was badly handled.

a) to be responsible for doing a particular job or piece of work

Inspector Dawkin will be handling this case.

Publicity is being handled by an outside agency.

b) to be able to deal successfully with a large amount of work or information

The newer computers can handle massive amounts of data.

The helpline handles 100 calls an hour.

c) to deal with the people or goods that pass through an airport, port, or other centre

The depot handles over two million tonnes of freight a week.

d) to deal successfully with a person who is likely to become angry or upset

All the staff are trained to handle difficult customers.

2) [transitive] to touch or hold someone or something

handle something with care:

All chemicals must be handled with care.

handle someone roughly:

Some prisoners complained that they'd been roughly handled.

3)

a) [transitive] to control an animal or a vehicle using your hands

She handled the horse very confidently.

b) [intransitive] if a vehicle handles well or badly, it is easy or difficult to control

4) [transitive] to buy and sell goods, especially illegally

handle stolen goods:

He denied burglary but admitted handling stolen goods.

•

- someone cannot handle something

II UK [ˈhænd(ə)l] / US noun [countable]
Word forms "handle":
singular handle plural handles
**

1)

a) the part of a door or window that you use for opening it

She turned the handle and pushed the door open.

b) the part of an object that you hold in your hand when you use it

knives with plastic handles

2) very informal someone's name

•

have/get a handle on something — informal to understand something well

I soon began to get a handle on the new software.