unhand

[ uhn-hand ]

verb (used with object)
  1. to take the hand or hands from; release from a grasp; let go: Unhand me, you wretched coward!

Origin of unhand

1
First recorded in 1595–1605; un-2 + hand

Words Nearby unhand

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use unhand in a sentence

  • The New Woman will scarcely feel the seat of power warm beneath her before giving to the assassin's "unhand me, villain!"

    A Cynic Looks at Life | Ambrose Bierce
  • This act culminates in the Reformation, when for a generation Scotland is not clear whether to cry unhand me, villain!

    Bonnie Scotland | A.R. Hope Moncrieff
  • "unhand me, sir," he said, in a voice of angry expostulation.

  • "unhand me," muttered Juliet in a tone of intense, but suppressed fury.

    Mildred at Roselands | Martha Finley
  • "unhand me, woman," said Vonnie, but she immediately took his arm again.

    The Boy Grew Older | Heywood Broun

British Dictionary definitions for unhand

unhand

/ (ʌnˈhænd) /


verb
  1. (tr) archaic, or literary to release from the grasp

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012