Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hat in hand

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.48 in modern English

Syllables: hat in -hand
IPA

16

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

With humility; in an apologetic or self-effacing fashion.

Example Sentences

"Hat in hand, the sailors stood deferentially in a semicircle before him."
""D'you think the proud English corporations are going to let you inside? Not them. The most you'll get will be the scraps that fall from their table, my poor Lazarus, and for these you'll have to go hat in hand to Dives.""
"Turkish leaders are accustomed to visiting Europe with hat in hand, seeking to make compromises."
"But the Americans should also not expect Mr Xi to be arriving hat in hand and eager to please.Many believe mutual suspicion will endure and the two leaders will not likely remove existing trade and economic roadblocks put up in the name of national security."

Inflected Forms

with hat in hand (alternative) cap in hand (alternative)

Questions

What does hat in hand mean?: With humility; in an apologetic or self-effacing fashion.

How to pronounce hat in hand

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “hat in hand”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “hat in hand”.
Repeat and practice — Say “hat in hand” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.