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# handicap

«handicap» in Mova's school dictionary: **Something that makes it harder for you to do well, a…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 2 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a handicap, handicaps); verb (handicap, handicaps, handicapped, handicapping)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Something that makes it harder for you to do well, a disadvantage, as in «Being small was a handicap in basketball». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handicap/#m1)

2) (sport) In golf, horse racing and some games, a handicap is a score or weight that makes the contest fair between stronger and weaker players. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handicap/#m2)

3) (old-fashioned, now often hurtful) A disability; today people usually say «disability» instead. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handicap/#m3)

4) (verb) To make it harder for someone to do something. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handicap/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In sport, a golfer's handicap shows how good they are: the lower the number, the better. In maths problems about races, a «handicap» start gives some runners a head start. In citizenship lessons, children learn that «handicapped» is old-fashioned and many find it hurtful; say «disabled person» or «person with a disability».

### examples

- Not having a map was a big handicap. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handicap/#x1)
- Grandpa's golf handicap is 12. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handicap/#x2)
- The racehorse carried extra weight as a handicap. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handicap/#x3)
- Being new to the school was a handicap at first. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handicap/#x4)
- The bad weather handicapped the rescue team. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handicap/#x5)
- People now say «disabled» rather than «handicapped». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handicap/#x6)

### note

Double p in «handicapped», «handicapping». In golf, a lower handicap means a better player. «Handicap» meaning disability is old and may cause offence.

### In the corpora

- [So they try a real handicap instead: Gwil plays football left-footed and gives Wynne a head start in races.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/507-siblings-as-best-mates-and-as-rivals/16/)
- [A real handicap, like playing with the weaker foot or a head start, makes the game fair and the win real.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/507-siblings-as-best-mates-and-as-rivals/35/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «handicap» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handicap/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.