glad-handed; glad-handing; glad-hands

transitive verb

: to extend a glad hand to
candidates glad-handing everyone they meet

intransitive verb

: to extend a glad hand
glad-handing as if he were running for mayor

glad hand

2 of 2

noun

: a warm welcome or greeting often prompted by ulterior reasons

Examples of glad-hand in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Verb
There’s the contest itself, the Big Game, and then there’s the week leading up to it, a jubilee of parties and promotions, a glad-handing orgy for the sports-entertainment complex and a bucket-list indulgence for fans who can spare the time and the expense. Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1903, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun

circa 1895, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of glad-hand was circa 1895

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Cite this Entry

“Glad-hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glad-hand. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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