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# handshake

«handshake» in Mova's school dictionary: **when two people take each other's right hand and shake…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (handshake, handshakes)

### meaning for a pupil

A handshake is when two people take each other's right hand and shake it, to say hello, goodbye, well done, or to agree. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handshake/#m1)

### sense in the lessons

counting problems: each pair of people shakes hands once; in everyday life and manners: a firm friendly handshake when meeting an adult, at the end of a game to say «good game», or to agree a deal; phrases: «shake hands», «a firm handshake»

### examples

- 4 friends each shake hands with every other friend. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handshake/#x1)
- How many handshakes are there? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handshake/#x2)
- Each handshake is between 2 people. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handshake/#x3)
- 5 players make 10 handshakes. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handshake/#x4)
- The two teams lined up for handshakes after the match. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handshake/#x5)
- He greeted the head teacher with a polite handshake. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handshake/#x6)
- They sealed the deal with a handshake. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handshake/#x7)
- Some people bow or wave instead of a handshake. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/handshake/#x8)

### note

For n people each pair once: 1 + 2 + … + (n − 1). Trap: n × (n − 1) counts each handshake twice, so divide by 2. 4 people make 6 handshakes; 5 make 10. Manners: look the person in the eye and say hello.

### In the corpora

- [A special handshake is fun with a close friend, but other people are greeted in an ordinary way.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/122-greeting-friends-and-relatives/7/)
- [A good handshake is firm but not hard, for about two or three shakes.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/124-handshakes-waves-and-local-customs/5/)
- [A good handshake is firm but not crushing and lasts about two or three shakes.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/323-greetings-handshakes-goodbyes-please-and-table-manners/8/)
- [Inside jokes and secret handshakes — bump, spin, clap, finger guns — tie friends together.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/462-sleepovers-and-inside-jokes/9/)
- [When three other kids copy the handshake on Sports Day, Sam is half annoyed and half proud.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/462-sleepovers-and-inside-jokes/10/)

### Trees and pragmatics

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