get/have a handle on
idiom
informal
: to understand and be able to deal with (something)
I can't quite get a handle on the way this machine works.
It seemed like she had a good handle on the situation.
Examples of get/have a handle on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
To get a handle on the needs of its biggest departments while offering full transparency the Porter County Council held a special needs assessment meeting Wednesday evening.
—
Shelley Jones, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2025
Johnson said the local government needs to step in and get a handle on the flooding situation.
—Sofi Zeman, Kansas City Star, 21 May 2025
To get a handle on these possibilities, Xu partnered with Guozhen Wang, his longtime collaborator and former college roommate.
—Erica Klarreich, Quanta Magazine, 5 May 2025
Meanwhile, the industry in Vietnam has been gathering at several forums over the past few weeks to get a handle on what the 46 percent tariff levied against Vietnam could mean for the industry.
—Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for get/have a handle on
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Shelley Jones, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2025
Johnson said the local government needs to step in and get a handle on the flooding situation.
—Sofi Zeman, Kansas City Star, 21 May 2025
To get a handle on these possibilities, Xu partnered with Guozhen Wang, his longtime collaborator and former college roommate.
—Erica Klarreich, Quanta Magazine, 5 May 2025
Meanwhile, the industry in Vietnam has been gathering at several forums over the past few weeks to get a handle on what the 46 percent tariff levied against Vietnam could mean for the industry.
—Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for get/have a handle on
Cite this Entry
“Get/have a handle on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/get%2Fhave%20a%20handle%20on. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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