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hand-wringing

British

noun

informal an extended debate over the correct course of action in a situation

"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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It's at McLaren where the hand-wringing will be most intense.

From BBC • Nov. 30, 2025

For all the hand-wringing over tariffs and a wobbling economy, shoppers are spending where they perceive value as evidenced by strong recent financial results from Walmart, Gap, T.J.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 23, 2025

Many retirees remained burned by the steep downturn in both stocks and bonds, causing much hand-wringing about whether the 60/40 portfolio was dead.

From Barron's • Nov. 18, 2025

But as a description of the hand-wringing that commonly infects budget negotiations in Washington, it’s well put.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 15, 2025

It was stunning news, after three months of hand-wringing and damage control at the highest levels of the KGB.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023