Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense handicaps, present participle handicapping, past tense, past participle handicapped
1. countable noun
A handicap is a physical or mental disability.
He lost his leg when he was ten, but learnt to overcome his handicap.
2. countable noun
A handicap is an event or situation that places you at a disadvantage and makes it harder for you to do something.
She was away from school for 15 weeks, a handicap she could have done without.
Being a foreigner was not a handicap.
Synonyms: disadvantage, block, barrier, restriction More Synonyms of handicap
3. verb
If an event or a situation handicaps someone or something, it places them at a disadvantage.
Greater levels of stress may seriously handicap some students. [VERB noun]
We felt our system was handicapping some of the good players we have. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: hinder, limit, restrict, burden More Synonyms of handicap
4. countable noun
In golf, a handicap is an advantage given to someone who is not a good player, in order to make the players more equal. As you improve, your handicap gets lower.
I see your handicap is down from 16 to 12.
Synonyms: advantage, penalty, head start More Synonyms of handicap
5. countable noun
In horse racing, a handicap is a race in which some competitors are given a disadvantage of extra weight in an attempt to give everyone an equal chance of winning.
handicap in British English
(ˈhændɪˌkæp)
noun
1.
something that hampers or hinders
2.
a.
a contest, esp a race, in which competitors are given advantages or disadvantages of weight, distance, time, etc, in an attempt to equalize their chances of winning
b.
the advantage or disadvantage prescribed
3. golf
the number of strokes by which a player's averaged score exceeds the standard scratch score for the particular course: used as the basis for handicapping in competitive play
4. old-fashioned, sometimes offensive
any physical or mental disability
verbWord forms: -caps, -capping or -capped(transitive)
5.
to be a hindrance or disadvantage to
6.
to assign a handicap or handicaps to
7.
to organize (a contest) by handicapping
8. US and Canadian
a.
to attempt to forecast the winner of (a contest, esp a horse race)
b.
to assign odds for or against (a contestant)
Word origin
C17: probably from hand in cap, a lottery game in which players drew forfeits from a cap or deposited money in it
handicap in American English
(ˈhændiˌkæp) (verb-capped, -capping)
noun
1.
a race or other contest in which certain disadvantages or advantages of weight, distance, time, etc., are placed upon competitorsto equalize their chances of winning
2.
the disadvantage or advantage itself
3.
any disadvantage that makes success more difficult
The main handicap of our business is lack of capital
4.
a physical or mental disability making participation in certain of the usual activities of daily living more difficult
transitive verb
5.
to place at a disadvantage; disable or burden
He was handicapped by his injured ankle
6.
to subject to a disadvantageous handicap, as a competitor of recognized superiority
7.
to assign handicaps to (competitors)
8. Sport
a.
to attempt to predict the winner of (a contest, esp. a horse race), as by comparing past performances of the contestants
b.
to assign odds for or against (any particular contestant) to win a contest or series of contests
He handicapped the Yankees at 2-to-1 to take the series from the Cardinals
Word origin
[1640–50; 1870–75 for def. 8; orig. hand i' cap hand in cap, referring to a drawing before a horse race]
Synonyms of 'handicap'
disadvantage, block, barrier, restriction
advantage, penalty, head start
hinder, limit, restrict, burden
More Synonyms of handicap
In other languages
handicap
British English: handicap NOUN
A handicap is a physical or mental disability.
He lost his leg when he was ten, but learnt to overcome his handicap.
American English: handicap
Brazilian Portuguese: incapacidade
Chinese: 残疾
European Spanish: discapacidad
French: handicap
German: Behinderung
Italian: handicap
Japanese: 身体障害{or}精神障害
Korean: 장애
European Portuguese: incapacidade
Latin American Spanish: discapacidad
British English: handicap VERB
If an event or a situation handicaps someone or something, it places them at a disadvantage.
Greater levels of stress may seriously handicap some students.