Word.ws English Dictionary

hands-in

hands-in noun: a show of unity and usually optimism at the end of an informal huddle of players whereby the players simultaneously extend a hand horizontally towards the center of the circle and then raise their hands in the air with a short team chant.

hands-in: a show of unity and usually optimism at the end of an informal huddle of players whereby the...
Image: Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chris Krucke, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

hands-in

  1. (Canada, US, college, school, amateur sports) A show of unity and usually optimism at the end of an informal huddle of players whereby the players simultaneously extend a hand horizontally towards the center of the circle and then raise their hands in the air with a short team chant.
    • Chris rallied the team with a "1, 2, 3, Go Tigers!" hands-in and they went on to win the match and the cup.
    • Have a seat. Great scene. I think this is going to work out. Hey, one last group thing. Everybody back on your feet. Stand up. Hands in. Come on. Hands in. (She sticks her hand out and tries to the best of her ability to do a “hands in” with the audience.)2010, Joe Janes, 365 Sketches: One Comedy Sketch a Day for a Year, →ISBN, page 671

Examples of hands-in in a sentence

  • At two routines til go time, Mandy Lockley assembles us into a circle and we do a hands-in.2019, Mariah MacCarthy, Squad, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, →ISBN, page 108:
  • Dad gives a little pep talk, then says, “On three … G-Beatz!” We all give a hands-in and the rest of the boys shout.2021, Mae Respicio, How to Win a Slime War, Random House, →ISBN, page 94:

Questions about hands-in

What does hands-in mean?
Hands-in means a show of unity and usually optimism at the end of an informal huddle of players whereby the players simultaneously extend a hand horizontally towards the center of the circle and then raise their hands in the air with a short team chant.
How do you use hands-in in a sentence?
At two routines til go time, Mandy Lockley assembles us into a circle and we do a hands-in.
What part of speech is hands-in?
Hands-in is a noun.

Words near hands-in in the dictionary

  1. hands something out like candy
  2. hands up
  3. hands-down
  4. hands-free
  5. hands-frees
  6. hands-in
  7. hands-off
  8. hands-on
  9. hands-ons
  10. Handsacre
  11. handsale

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: hands-in (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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