get/have a handle on
idiom
informal
: to understand and be able to deal with (something)
I can't quite get a handle on the way this machine works.
It seemed like she had a good handle on the situation.
Examples of get/have a handle on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Election Day is just days away and of all the critical issues at stake, there is one that has a fast-approaching deadline to get a handle on: climate change.
—
Li Cohen, CBS News, 31 Oct. 2024
Urbazon | Istock | Getty Images Switzerland could be at risk of slipping into deflationary territory next year, as a stronger Swiss franc beleaguers policymakers’ efforts to get a handle on price growth.
—Karen Gilchrist, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2024
Meyer, 35 at the time, had been trying to get a handle on what was happening since the last week of January, when his officers responded to a series of unusual incidents involving the recent immigrants: Young children found alone in an apartment while their mothers were at work.
—Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 24 Oct. 2024
That’s because Titus, too, isn’t an easy guy to get a handle on.
—Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 18 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for get/have a handle on 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Li Cohen, CBS News, 31 Oct. 2024
Urbazon | Istock | Getty Images Switzerland could be at risk of slipping into deflationary territory next year, as a stronger Swiss franc beleaguers policymakers’ efforts to get a handle on price growth.
—Karen Gilchrist, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2024
Meyer, 35 at the time, had been trying to get a handle on what was happening since the last week of January, when his officers responded to a series of unusual incidents involving the recent immigrants: Young children found alone in an apartment while their mothers were at work.
—Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 24 Oct. 2024
That’s because Titus, too, isn’t an easy guy to get a handle on.
—Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 18 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for get/have a handle on
Dictionary Entries Near get/have a handle on
Cite this Entry
“Get/have a handle on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/get%2Fhave%20a%20handle%20on. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share