handicap
English · Français · Deutsch · Italiano · Română · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
handicap
- /ˈhændikæp/
Where it comes from
From hand-in-cap, in reference to holding the game stakes in a cap.
noun handicaps
- Something that prevents, hampers, or hinders. Age is often a handicap.
- An allowance of a certain amount of time or distance in starting, granted in a race (or other contest of skill) to the competitor possessing disadvantages; or an additional weight or other hindrance imposed upon the one possessing advantages, in order to equalize, as much as possible, the chances of success. The older boy won, even though his opponent had been granted a handicap of five meters.
- An individual's physical or mental disadvantage or disability.
- A race or similar contest in which there is an allowance of time, distance, weight, or other advantage, to equalize the chances of the competitors.
- An old card game, similar to lanterloo. Here some of us fell to handicap, a sport that I never knew before, which was very good.
-
Synonym of hand-in-cap (“old English trading game”).
Similar: hand-in-cap
verb handicaps · handicapping · handicapped
- To encumber with a handicap in any contest.
- To place at disadvantage. The candidate was handicapped by her lack of experience.
- To estimate betting odds. Grandpa Andy would buy the racing form the day ahead of time so he could handicap the race before he even arrived at the track.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: hinder, impediment, hindrance, disable, incapacitate, disablement, impairment, deterrent, disadvantage, disability, invalid, hamper, obstacle, obstruction, problem, difficulty
Translations
Every language
noun race
| Español | hándicap |
|---|
noun something that prevents, hampers, or hinders
| Español | obstáculo, hándicap |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 障礙 /障碍 zhàng'ài |
| हिन्दी | बाधा bādhā |
| Português | obstáculo |
noun in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
| Español | ventaja, ventaje, hándicap |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | ハンディキャップ handikyappu, ハンデ hande |
| Português | vantagem |
| Deutsch | Vorsprung |
| Русский | фо́ра fóra, гандика́п gandikáp |
| עברית | מִקְדָּם mikdam |
noun disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
| Español | minusvalía, discapacidad |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 장애 jang'ae |
| 日本語 | 障害 shōgai, ハンディキャップ handikyappu, ハンデ hande |
| हिन्दी | विकलांगता viklāṅgtā |
| Português | deficiência |
| Français | handicap |
| Deutsch | Behinderung |
| Русский | недоста́ток nedostátok, уве́чье uvéčʹje |
verb to encumber
| Kiswahili | kilema |
|---|
verb to place at disadvantage
| Kiswahili | kilema |
|---|
verb to estimate betting odds
| Kiswahili | kilema |
|---|
Talk about this word "handicap." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/handicap. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. handicap. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/handicap "handicap." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/handicap.Cite this
@misc{handicap_2026,
title = {handicap},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/handicap},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
