to deal with a situation, a person, an area of work or a strong emotion
handle something/somebody A new man was appointed to handle the crisis.
She's very good at handling her patients.
to handle a situation/case
He decided to handle things himself.
This matter has been handled very badly.
The sale was handled by Adams Commercial.
We can handle up to 500 calls an hour at our new offices.
We all have to learn to handle stress.
(informal) ‘Any problems?’ ‘Nothing I can't handle.’
(informal) I've got to go. I can't handle it any more (= deal with a difficult situation).
handle yourself (informal) You have to know how to handle yourself in this business (= know the right way to behave).
to touch, hold or move something with your hands
Our cat hates being handled.
The label on the box said: ‘Fragile. Handle with care.’
to control a vehicle, an animal, a tool, etc.
I wasn't sure if I could handle such a powerful car.
She's a difficult horse to handle.
to be easy/difficult to drive or control
The car handles well in any weather.
to buy or sell something
They were arrested for handling stolen goods.
the part of a door, window, etc. that you use to open it
She turned the handle and opened the door.
a door handle
the part of an object, such as a cup, a bag or a tool, that you use to hold it or carry it
the handle of a knife
a broom handle
The handle's broken off this jug.
having the number or type of handle mentioned
a long-handled spoon
a name or nickname
a person's username on a social media site or online forum
I added my handle at the top of my blog page so that readers could view my tweets as well as my blog posts.
to suddenly become very angry
He seems to fly off the handle about the slightest thing these days.
to understand or know about somebody/something, especially so that you can deal with it or them later
I can't get a handle on these sales figures.
to give somebody enough facts or knowledge for them to be able to deal with something
Visiting the country should give us a better handle on understanding the problems.
