handshake
Americannoun
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a gripping and shaking of right hands by two individuals, such as to symbolize greeting, congratulation, agreement, or farewell.
It was a verbal contract, sealed with a firm handshake.
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Computers. Also handshaking. an exchange of predetermined signals between networked or linked devices that is made when a connection is initially established or at intervals during data transmission in order to assure proper synchronization (also used attributively).
A successful handshake is required between the server and client before the application will launch.
Two handshake signals are exchanged between the computer and the printer—one from each device.
noun
Etymology
Origin of handshake
Explanation
A handshake is the act of greeting someone by clasping their hand in yours and giving a brief, firm, up-and-down shake. It's fairly formal to greet another person with a handshake. It's appropriate to use a handshake, usually with the right hand, when you're being introduced to someone or presenting yourself at a job interview, for example. You can also use a handshake to seal an agreement or deal with another person. Handshakes were used as far back as the 5th century BCE in ancient Greece, and some historians believe the handshake was initially meant as a gesture proving that neither person held a weapon.
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.
The agency’s logo—a handshake over the words From the American People—was a ubiquitous reminder that the U.S. was committed to making the world a healthier and safer place.
From Slate • Apr. 23, 2026
A handshake between the protagonists disguises hell-bent hunger to degrade each other as far as non-contact sport allows.
From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026
I figured Auriemma would clean up the mess in his postgame press conference, but instead he calmly leaned in to it, offering the pregame handshake delay as his explanation-slash-justification.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
It would take more than two years of round-the-clock campaigning just to give each and every one a quick handshake.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2026
I stepped forward to get a better look at him and regretted it almost immediately, because his hands were grubby and he reached over to offer me a handshake.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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.
