If you have something to hand or near to hand, you have it with you or near you, ready to use when needed.
You may want to keep this brochure safe, so you have it to hand whenever you mayneed it.
See full dictionary entry for hand
to hand in British English
accessible
See full dictionary entry for hand
to hand in American English
1.
near; accessible
2.
in one's possession
See full dictionary entry for hand
Examples of 'to hand' in a sentence
to hand
Hundreds of thousands may have to hand back cash after being given too much.
The Sun (2006)
After her tearful appeal, hundreds of volunteers came forward to hand out brochures and put up posters.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
But then we sacrifice all that having them near to hand allows us to do and be - and show.
Kantrow, Alan M. The Constraints of Corporate Tradition (1987)
For those in need of funds, there are routes to explore and ways the banks may be persuaded to hand over cash.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
He may well need to hand himself in, if not to save himself from his conscience then to save himself from Lucas.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
All related terms of 'to hand'
hand-to-hand
Hand-to-hand fighting is fighting where the people are very close together , using either their hands or weapons such as knives .
hand it to
to give deserved credit to
come to hand
to become available ; be received
hand-to-mouth
A hand-to-mouth existence is a way of life in which you have hardly enough food or money to live on.
from hand to hand
from one person to another
to lend a hand
If you lend someone a hand , you help them.
to try your hand
If you try your hand at an activity , you attempt to do it, usually for the first time.
from hand to mouth
in poverty
hand it to someone
to give credit to someone
set one's hand to
to sign (a document)
turn one's hand to
to undertake (something, esp something practical )
to live hand to mouth
If someone lives hand to mouth or lives from hand to mouth , they have hardly enough food or money to live on.
to have to hand it to sb
You say things such as ' You have to hand it to her ' or ' You've got to hand it to them ' when you admire someone for their skills or achievements and you think they deserve a lot of praise .
live from hand to mouth
to not have enough money to live comfortably, and to have no money left after you have paid for basic necessities
to force someone's hand
If you force someone's hand , you force them to act sooner than they want to, or to act in public when they would prefer to keep their actions secret .
to keep your hand in
If you do something to keep your hand in , you practise a skill or hobby occasionally in order to remain fairly good at it.
to overplay one's hand
If someone overplays their hand , they act more confidently than they should because they believe that they are in a stronger position than they actually are.
turn one's hand to sth
If you turn your hand to something such as a practical activity , you learn about it and do it for the first time.
go hat in hand to someone
to ask someone very humbly and respectfully for money or help . The usual British expression is go cap in hand to someone .
turn your hand to something
to start doing something and do it well , even though you may not be trained to do it
to give notice
If an employer gives an employee notice , the employer tells the employee that he or she must leave his or her job within a fixed period of time.
you have to hand it to someone
said to acknowledge how well someone has done something or how good they are at it, even though you do not like the person or do not approve of their actions
close combat
the act of fighting at close quarters
hand sth to sb on a plate
If you say that someone has things handed to them on a plate , you disapprove of them because they get good things easily .
hand sth to sb on a platter
If you say that someone has things handed to them on a platter , you disapprove of them because they get good things easily.
put one's hand to the plough
to begin or undertake a task
to give someone a free hand
If someone gives you a free hand , they give you the freedom to use your own judgment and to do exactly as you wish .
to rule sb with a high hand
to behave imperiously towards someone
turn (or put) one's hand to
to undertake ; work at
to bite the hand that feeds you
If someone bites the hand that feeds them, they behave badly or in an ungrateful way towards someone who they depend on.
hand over responsibility
If you have responsibility for something or someone, or if they are your responsibility , it is your job or duty to deal with them and to take decisions relating to them.
do something to keep your hand in
to do something in order to use the skills which you have developed in the past , so that you do not lose them
to shake someone's hand shake someone by the hand
If you shake someone's hand or shake someone by the hand , you shake hands with them.
have to do something with one hand tied behind your back
to have a disadvantage which makes it difficult for you to succeed in doing something