at hand

English

Pronunciation

  • (file)

Prepositional phrase

at hand

  1. Within easy reach; nearby.
    Synonyms: handy, to hand, on hand, at one's fingertips, at one's fingers' ends
    I don't have the information at hand, but I can look it up.
    • c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. [] The First Part [], 2nd edition, part 1, London: [] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, [], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene iii:
      The King your brother is now hard at hand,
      Meete with the foole, and rid your royall ſhoulders
      Of ſuch a burden, as outweighs the ſands
      And all the craggie rockes of Caſpea.
  2. Near; soon.
    Synonyms: approaching, imminent; see also Thesaurus:impending
  3. (figurative) Currently receiving attention.
    • 2001, Ghaith Mahmood, “Problem is about oppression, not coexistence”, in The Daily Bruin, archived from the original on 29 September 2007:
      The problem at hand is not the inability of the Arabs and the Jews to live together peacefully.

Translations

Further reading

  • at hand”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

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