handiwork

noun

hand·​i·​work ˈhan-di-ˌwərk How to pronounce handiwork (audio)
-dē-
1
a
: work done by the hands
b
: work done personally
recognized her handiwork
2
: the product of handiwork

Examples of handiwork in a Sentence

They admired the potter's beautiful handiwork. I think all of these problems are her handiwork.
Recent Examples on the Web Having looked upon the shoddy handiwork of the Colorado Supreme Court and the Maine secretary of state, the Court balked at letting state courts enforce Section 3. The Editors, National Review, 5 Mar. 2024 Kellan also made sure to share his handiwork in an Instagram post on Friday. Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 1 Dec. 2023 Mario Tama / Getty Images Residents and workers appear divided over whether to consider the taggers' handiwork street art or an eyesore. Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC News, 15 Feb. 2024 As before, China’s hirelings respond that their handiwork will affect only a few dangerous malcontents. Doug Bandow, National Review, 10 Feb. 2024 Expertly mimicking a child’s earnest handiwork, the picture being incised into human flesh shows two stick-figure girls holding hands. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2024 These living collages are his proud handiwork, and Bella is his masterpiece. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2023 The pavilion structure was built for people to get a good view of Moses’ handiwork, Morales said. Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2024 More of the pastry chef’s handiwork is available during the day, when Almeda reprises Little Food Studio by offering cookies, scones, coffee and other items until early afternoon. Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 26 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'handiwork.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English handiwerk, from Old English handgeweorc, from hand + geweorc, from ge- (collective prefix) + weorc work — more at co-

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of handiwork was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near handiwork

Cite this Entry

“Handiwork.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/handiwork. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

handiwork

noun
hand·​i·​work ˈhan-di-ˌwərk How to pronounce handiwork (audio)
: work done by the hands or by oneself

More from Merriam-Webster on handiwork

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