What does HANDICAP mean?

Definitions for HANDICAP
ˈhæn diˌkæphand·i·cap

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word HANDICAP.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. disability, disablement, handicap, impairmentnoun

    the condition of being unable to perform as a consequence of physical or mental unfitness

    "reading disability"; "hearing impairment"

  2. handicapnoun

    advantage given to a competitor to equalize chances of winning

  3. hindrance, hinderance, deterrent, impediment, balk, baulk, check, handicapverb

    something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progress

  4. disable, invalid, incapacitate, handicapverb

    injure permanently

    "He was disabled in a car accident"

  5. handicapverb

    attempt to forecast the winner (especially in a horse race) and assign odds for or against a contestant

  6. handicap, hinder, hamperverb

    put at a disadvantage

    "The brace I have to wear is hindering my movements"

GCIDE

  1. handicapnoun

    a physical or mental disability of the body which makes normal human activities more difficult or impossible; as, his deformed leg was a major handicap in walking.

  2. handicapnoun

    any disadvantage that makes an activity more difficult or impossible; as, insufficient capital was a big handicap in competing against Microsoft.

Wiktionary

  1. handicapnoun

    An allowance of a certain amount of time or distance in starting, granted in a race (or other contest of skill) to the competitor possessing disadvantages; or an additional weight or other hindrance imposed upon the one possessing advantages, in order to equalize, as much as possible, the chances of success.

  2. handicapnoun

    The disadvantage itself, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people.

  3. handicapnoun

    A race, for horses or men, or any contest of agility, strength, or skill, in which there is an allowance of time, distance, weight, or other advantage, to equalize the chances of the competitors.

  4. handicapnoun

    An old game at cards. - Pepys

  5. handicapverb

    To encumber with a handicap in any contest.

  6. handicapverb

    To place at disadvantage.

    The candidate was heavily handicapped.

  7. handicapverb

    To estimate betting odds.

    Grandpa Andy would buy the racing form the day ahead of time so he could handicap the race before he even arrived at the track.

  8. Etymology: From hand in cap, in reference to holding the game stakes in a cap.

ChatGPT

  1. handicap

    A handicap is a condition or situation that makes progress, success, or achievement difficult, often referring to a physical or mental disadvantage or disability that restricts a person's abilities in certain areas. In sports and games, it refers to an advantage or disadvantage imposed on a participant or team for the purpose of equalizing chances of winning.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Handicapnoun

    an allowance of a certain amount of time or distance in starting, granted in a race to the competitor possessing inferior advantages; or an additional weight or other hindrance imposed upon the one possessing superior advantages, in order to equalize, as much as possible, the chances of success; as, the handicap was five seconds, or ten pounds, and the like

  2. Handicapnoun

    a race, for horses or men, or any contest of agility, strength, or skill, in which there is an allowance of time, distance, weight, or other advantage, to equalize the chances of the competitors

  3. Handicapnoun

    an old game at cards

  4. Handicapverb

    to encumber with a handicap in any contest; hence, in general, to place at disadvantage; as, the candidate was heavily handicapped

  5. Etymology: [From hand in cap; -- perh. in reference to an old mode of settling a bargain by taking pieces of money from a cap.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Handicap

    hand′i-kap, v.t. to impose special disadvantages or impediments upon in order to offset advantages, and make a better contest—in a horse-race the superior horse carries a heavier weight, while foot-runners are placed at different distances, or start at different times: (fig.) to place at a disadvantage by some burden or disability.—n. any contest so adjusted, or the condition imposed.—n. Hand′icapper, one who handicaps. [Hand in the cap, from the usage in an ancient kind of sport and method of settling a bargain by arbitration.]

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'HANDICAP' in Nouns Frequency: #2340

How to pronounce HANDICAP?

How to say HANDICAP in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of HANDICAP in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of HANDICAP in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of HANDICAP in a Sentence

  1. Rick Reilly:

    This idea that Donald Trump is a great golfer - he's not, he's good. He's a 72-year-old man who's a 10 handicap. That's pretty good. But why isn't that good enough?

  2. Unknown:

    Nothing can be called failure until you accept it as such. You can transmute all past failures and mistakes into assets. Adversity is Nature's method of disciplining people to learn to take possession of their own minds. Greatest blessings often come from the greatest adversities. Study yourself carefully and you may discover that your own emotions are your greatest handicap in the business of accurate thinking.

  3. Gordie Howe:

    You've got to love what you're doing. If you love it, you can overcome any handicap or the soreness or all the aches and pains, and continue to play for a long, long time.

  4. Kathy Lien:

    The general effects of the RRR reduction are questionable but China's government would not have taken this move if they were not concerned about the economy, chinese data is notoriously difficult to handicap but this gives us reasons to believe that manufacturing and service sector activity slowed in the month of February.

  5. Dave Lafferty:

    Trump has been light on policy substance so it’s very difficult for the markets to handicap.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

HANDICAP#10000#12951#100000

Translations for HANDICAP

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"HANDICAP." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/HANDICAP>.

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