Standard Lemma guide

handicap

noun · verb · 15 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.

  • /ˈhændikæp/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: HH AE1 N D IY0 K AE2 P Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Something that prevents, hampers, or hinders.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • Age is often a handicap.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An allowance of a certain amount of time or distance in starting, granted in a race (or other contest of skill) to the competitor possessing disadvantages; or an additional weight or other hindrance imposed upon the one possessing advantages, in order to equalize, as much as possible, the chances of success.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: hobbies, lifestyle, sports

Examples

  • The older boy won, even though his opponent had been granted a handicap of five meters.
  • A handicap in chess often involves removal of the queen's rook.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An individual's physical or mental disadvantage or disability.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Qualifier: sometimes considered offensive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A race or similar contest in which there is an allowance of time, distance, weight, or other advantage, to equalize the chances of the competitors.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

An old card game, similar to lanterloo.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, uncountable

Topics: card-games, games

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

Synonym of hand-in-cap (“old English trading game”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hand-in-cap

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To encumber with a handicap in any contest.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To place at disadvantage.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, figuratively, transitive

Examples

  • The candidate was handicapped by her lack of experience.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To estimate betting odds.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Grandpa Andy would buy the racing form the day ahead of time so he could handicap the race before he even arrived at the track.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

advantage given to a competitor to equalize chances of winning

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: advantage, vantage

Narrower terms: penalty, scratch

11

noun

Meaning 11

something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progress

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hindrance, hinderance, deterrent, impediment, balk, baulk, check

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: difficulty

Narrower terms: albatross, millstone, bind, diriment impediment, drag, obstacle, obstruction, straitjacket

12

noun

Meaning 12

the condition of being unable to perform as a consequence of physical or mental unfitness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • reading disability
  • hearing impairment

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disability, disablement, impairment

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: unfitness, softness

Narrower terms: bowleg, bow leg, bandyleg, bandy leg, genu varum, tibia vara, anorgasmia, dysphasia, disability of walking, astasia, amputation, hearing impairment, hearing disorder, dysomia, visual impairment, visual defect, vision defect, visual disorder, prolapse, prolapsus, descensus, hypoesthesia, hypesthesia, knock-knee, genu valgum, tibia valga, pigeon toes, bow legs, bandy legs, disintegration

13

verb

Meaning 13

injure permanently

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • He was disabled in a car accident

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disable, invalid, incapacitate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: injure, wound

Narrower terms: hock

14

verb

Meaning 14

put at a disadvantage

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The brace I have to wear is hindering my movements

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hinder, hamper

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disadvantage, disfavor, disfavour

15

verb

Meaning 15

attempt to forecast the winner (especially in a horse race) and assign odds for or against a contestant

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: bias

History

Etymology

From hand-in-cap, in reference to holding the game stakes in a cap.

Across languages

Translations

70 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: пречка (prečka) — something that prevents, hampers, or hinders
  • Bulgarian: спънка (spǎnka) — something that prevents, hampers, or hinders
  • Chinese Mandarin: 障礙 /障碍 (zhàng'ài) — something that prevents, hampers, or hinders
  • Esperanto: handikapo — something that prevents, hampers, or hinders
  • Finnish: haitta — something that prevents, hampers, or hinders
  • Hindi: बाधा (bādhā) — something that prevents, hampers, or hinders
  • Luxembourgish: Behënnerung — something that prevents, hampers, or hinders
  • Portuguese: obstáculo — something that prevents, hampers, or hinders
  • Spanish: obstáculo — something that prevents, hampers, or hinders
  • Spanish: hándicap — something that prevents, hampers, or hinders
  • Bulgarian: ава́нс (aváns) — in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
  • Finnish: tasoitus — in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
  • German: Vorsprung — in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
  • Hebrew: מִקְדָּם (mikdam) — in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
  • Icelandic: forgjöf — in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
  • Japanese: ハンディキャップ (handikyappu) — in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
  • Japanese: ハンデ (hande) — in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
  • Māori: tohurehe — in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
  • Persian: آوانس (âvâns) — in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
  • Persian: فرجه (forje) — in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
  • Polish: fory — in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
  • Portuguese: vantagem — in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
  • Russian: фо́ра (fóra) — in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
  • Russian: гандика́п (gandikáp) — in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
  • Slovak: hendikep — in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
  • Spanish: ventaja — in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
  • Spanish: ventaje — in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
  • Spanish: hándicap — in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
  • Swedish: försprång — in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
  • Thai: แต้มต่อ — in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
  • Ukrainian: фо́ра (fóra) — in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
  • Ukrainian: гандика́п (handykáp) — in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
  • Central Bikol: kaninan — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Bulgarian: недъг (nedǎg) — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Danish: handikap — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Dutch: handicap — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Esperanto: handikapo — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Finnish: vamma — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • French: handicap — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • German: Behinderung — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Hindi: विकलांगता (viklāṅgtā) — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Hungarian: fogyatékosság — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Icelandic: fötlun — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Japanese: 障害 (shōgai) — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Japanese: ハンディキャップ (handikyappu) — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Japanese: ハンデ (hande) — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Korean: 장애 (jang'ae) — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Latin: impedimentum — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Malayalam: വൈകല്യം (vaikalyaṁ) — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Māori: hauātanga — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Polish: upośledzenie — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Polish: niepełnosprawność — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Portuguese: deficiência — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Russian: недоста́ток (nedostátok) — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Russian: уве́чье (uvéčʹje) — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Spanish: minusvalía — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Spanish: discapacidad — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Tamil: ஊனம் (ūṉam) — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Turkish: engel — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Turkish: özür — disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
  • Finnish: tasoituskilpailu — race
  • Spanish: hándicap — race
  • Bulgarian: преча (preča) — to encumber
  • Bulgarian: спъвам (spǎvam) — to encumber
  • Catalan: handicapar — to encumber
  • Irish: cis — to encumber
  • Swahili: kilema — to encumber
  • Catalan: handicapar — to place at disadvantage
  • Swahili: kilema — to place at disadvantage
  • Swahili: kilema — to estimate betting odds
Real reading context

handicap in complete knowledge articles