Standard Lemma guide

hand-held

adj · noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈhændˌhɛld/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: HH AE1 N D HH EH2 L D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Held in one or both hands.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • He filmed the scene with a hand-held camera.
  • The hand-held game console became popular with children.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Small and light enough to be operated while held in one or both hands.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • This device is small and hand-held, perfect for travel.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A personal digital assistant or video game console that is small enough to be held in the hands.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: handheld console, hand-portable

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: handheld console, hand-portable

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A snack food that is held in the hands while eating.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • We offer sandwiches, tacos, and other hand-helds.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective

Meaning 5

small and light enough to be operated while you hold it in your hands

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a hand-held computer

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: handheld

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From hand + held.

Across languages

Translations

22 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 手提式的 (shǒutíshì de) — held in one hand
  • Danish: håndholdt — held in one hand
  • Finnish: käsi- — held in one hand
  • Finnish: kannettava — held in one hand
  • Finnish: käsikäyttöinen — held in one hand
  • French: portable — held in one hand
  • French: portatif — held in one hand
  • Georgian: ხელის (xelis) — held in one hand
  • Georgian: პორტატიული (ṗorṭaṭiuli) — held in one hand
  • Georgian: ხელში დასაჭერი (xelši dasač̣eri) — held in one hand
  • German: Hand- — held in one hand
  • Greek: χειρός (cheirós) — held in one hand
  • Greek: χειρόφερτος (cheirófertos) — held in one hand
  • Hungarian: kézi — held in one hand
  • Hungarian: kézben tartható/fogható — held in one hand
  • Hungarian: kézi tartású — held in one hand
  • Japanese: ハンドヘルド (handoherudo) — held in one hand
  • Khmer: កាន់ដោយដៃ (kan daoy day) — held in one hand
  • Norwegian Bokmål: håndholdt — held in one hand
  • Vietnamese: cầm tay — held in one hand
  • German: tragbare Videospielkonsole — personal digital assistant or video game console that is small enough to be held in the hands
  • German: tragbare Spielkonsole — personal digital assistant or video game console that is small enough to be held in the hands