Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

handler

American  
[hand-ler] / ˈhænd lər /

noun

  1. a person or thing that handles.

  2. Boxing. a person who assists in the training of a fighter or is the fighter's second during a fight.

  3. a person who exhibits a dog in a bench show or field trial.

handler 1 British  
/ ˈhændlə /

noun

  1. a person, esp a police officer, in charge of a specially trained dog

  2. a person who handles some specified thing

    a baggage handler

  3. a person who holds or incites a dog, gamecock, etc, esp in a race or contest

  4. the trainer or second of a boxer

"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
Handler 2 British  
/ ˈhændlə /

noun

  1. Daniel . born 1970, US writer for older children, best known for the macabre humour of his A Series of Unfortunate Events , a sequence of books written in the persona of Lemony Snicket

"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

Etymology

Origin of handler

1350–1400; Middle English. See handle, -er 1

Explanation

A handler is someone whose job involves dealing with a particular object, like a baggage handler at the airport. When you're responsible for handling or taking care of something, whether it's food or insurance claims, you're a handler. Other kinds of handlers manage people or animals — a dog handler is a type of trainer, for example. And some political advisors are also known as handlers: "The President had his handlers answer all the reporters' questions."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

They also gave tribute to co-stars David Doyle, who played the Angels’ handler John Bosley, and John Forsythe, who voiced the unseen Charlie.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

Pearl told the call handler: "I'm really, really scared."

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

The benchmark’s gains were led by air-cargo handler SATS, which rose 4.5%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Anna Webster, Verstappen's PR handler at Red Bull, realised he wanted to keep talking, so let them carry on.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

It was dangerous for a spy handler of his stature to get involved romantically with one of his spies.

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.