Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

handshake

/ˈhæn(d)ˌʃeɪk/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.36 in modern English

Syllables
hand-shake
IPA
/ˈhæn(d)ˌʃeɪk/
20
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The grasping of hands by two people when greeting, leave-taking, or making an agreement.

noun

An exchange of signals between two devices when communications begin in order to ensure synchronization.

verb

To perform a handshake; to shake hands.

Intransitive verb

verb

To perform a handshake with another device.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From hand + shake. See the appendix for the history of the gesture itself.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈhæn(d)ˌʃeɪk/

Usage

Inflected Forms

handshakes (plural) handshakes (present, singular) handshaking (participle, present) handshaked (participle, past) handshaked (past) handshook (participle, past) handshook (past)

Derived Forms

manshake

Phrases

golden handshake green handshake handshake deal secret handshake silver handshake shake on it

Frequently Paired Words

shake on it

Synonyms

shake handshaking handclasp

Questions

How do you pronounce handshake?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhæn(d)ˌʃeɪk/.
What does handshake mean?
The grasping of hands by two people when greeting, leave-taking, or making an agreement.
Where does handshake come from?
From hand + shake. See the appendix for the history of the gesture itself.

How to pronounce handshake

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “handshake”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈhæn(d)ˌʃeɪk/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “handshake”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “handshake” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.