handicap

[ han-dee-kap ]

noun

1. a race or other contest in which certain disadvantages or advantages of weight, distance, time, etc., are placed upon competitors to equalize their chances of winning.
2. the disadvantage or advantage itself.
3. any disadvantage that makes success more difficult:

   The main handicap of our business is lack of capital.

4. Sometimes Offensive. a physical or mental disability making participation in certain of the usual activities of daily living more difficult.

verb (used with object)

, hand·i·capped, hand·i·cap·ping.

1. to place at a disadvantage; disable or burden:

   He was handicapped by his injured ankle.

   Synonyms: incapacitate, cripple, impede, hinder

   Antonyms: help, assist, aid

2. to subject to a disadvantageous handicap, as a competitor of recognized superiority.
3. to assign handicaps to (competitors).
4. Sports.
   1. to attempt to predict the winner of (a contest, especially a horse race), as by comparing past performances of the contestants.
   2. to assign odds for or against (any particular contestant) to win a contest or series of contests:

      He handicapped the Yankees at 2-to-1 to take the series from the Cardinals.

handicap

/ ˈhændɪˌkæp /

noun

1. something that hampers or hinders
2. 1. a contest, esp a race, in which competitors are given advantages or disadvantages of weight, distance, time, etc, in an attempt to equalize their chances of winning
   2. the advantage or disadvantage prescribed
3. golf the number of strokes by which a player's averaged score exceeds the standard scratch score for the particular course: used as the basis for handicapping in competitive play
4. any physical disability or disadvantage resulting from physical, mental, or social impairment or abnormality

verb

1. to be a hindrance or disadvantage to
2. to assign a handicap or handicaps to
3. to organize (a contest) by handicapping
4. 1. to attempt to forecast the winner of (a contest, esp a horse race)
   2. to assign odds for or against (a contestant)

Other Words From

• non·handi·cap noun
• over·handi·cap verb (used with object) overhandicapped overhandicapping
• pre·handi·cap noun verb (used with object) prehandicapped prehandicapping

Word History and Origins

Origin of handicap¹

1640–50; 1870–75 handicap fordef 8; originally hand i' cap hand in cap, referring to a drawing before a horse race

Word History and Origins

Origin of handicap¹

C17: probably from hand in cap, a lottery game in which players drew forfeits from a cap or deposited money in it

Example Sentences

But a Harris loss would be dark confirmation that a woman who does most things right is still at a fatal handicap, even compared with a man who does everything wrong.

From Slate

“Sometimes we settle for less than we want... sometimes we recognize we’re working with a handicap and we’re doing the best we can.”

From Los Angeles Times

After Garr publicly announced that she had MS — a degenerative disease affecting the nervous system — she often joked that she continued to get parts “even though, you know, in Hollywood getting older is worse than having a handicap.”

From Los Angeles Times

There was plenty to admire in Arsenal’s performance, delivered despite the handicap of losing key defenders Gabriel and Jurrien Timber in the second half when holding that slender lead, to go with the absence of suspended William Saliba and injured Riccardo Calafiori.

From BBC

One reason this unprecedentedly tied race is so difficult to handicap is that Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are scrounging for votes in different universes.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• hamper
• hamstring
• hinder
• impede
• restrict