hand·i·cap
ˈhan-di-ˌkap 
-dē-
1
a
: a race or contest in which an artificial advantage is given or disadvantage imposed on a contestant to equalize chances of winning
b
: an advantage given or disadvantage imposed usually in the form of points, strokes, weight to be carried, or distance from the target or goal
2
a
: a disadvantage that makes achievement unusually difficult
b
sometimes offensive
: a physical disability
handicapped; handicapping
1
a
: to give a handicap to
b
: to assess the relative winning chances of (contestants) or the likely winner of (a contest)
2
: to put at a disadvantage
Examples of handicap in a Sentence
Noun
His shyness was a handicap in his job.
She's been practicing a lot and her handicap has gone down from 18 to 12.
Verb
It's very hard to handicap the election at this point.
the baseball player's small size did not handicap him in the least
Recent Examples on the Web
Emily Barone, Time, 19 July 2017
LNK classes have done everything from installing handicap doors at Redwood to creating a Healthy Newborn site for Transitions that serves mothers going through addiction recovery.
—Brent Cooper, Cincinnati.com, 17 July 2017
Charles Towers-Clark, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
And, of course, all the recession handicapping now hinges on the tariff aggression remaining in place, something that could change quickly if the administration opens an exit ramp.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for handicap
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Noun
In 1936, famed Olympic runner Jesse Owens raced a horse in a 100-yard dash and won thanks in part to a 40-yard handicap).
—Emily Barone, Time, 19 July 2017
LNK classes have done everything from installing handicap doors at Redwood to creating a Healthy Newborn site for Transitions that serves mothers going through addiction recovery.
—Brent Cooper, Cincinnati.com, 17 July 2017
Verb
The European Commission estimates that around 182,000 innovative small and medium-sized companies could benefit from this proposal, essentially eliminating the regulatory fragmentation that has historically handicapped European scaling efforts.
—Charles Towers-Clark, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
And, of course, all the recession handicapping now hinges on the tariff aggression remaining in place, something that could change quickly if the administration opens an exit ramp.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for handicap
Cite this Entry
“Handicap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/handicap. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
handicap
1 of 2 noun
hand·i·cap
ˈhan-di-ˌkap
1
: a race or contest in which competitors with different levels of ability are given an artificial advantage or disadvantage to equalize chances of winning
also
: the advantage or disadvantage given
2
a
: a disadvantage that makes progress or success difficult
being lazy was a handicap
b
sometimes offensive
: a physical disability
handicap
2 of 2 verb
handicapped; handicapping
1
: to give a handicap to
2
: to put at a disadvantage
Medical Definition
handicap
noun
hand·i·cap
ˈhan-di-ˌkap
1
: a disadvantage that makes achievement unusually difficult
2
sometimes offensive
: a physical disability
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