in their hands vs in their hand

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'In their hands' is the correct phrase when referring to multiple people each having a hand. 'In their hand' is used when referring to a single person or entity possessing a hand.

Last updated: April 10, 2024 • 289 views

in their hands

This phrase is correct and commonly used when referring to multiple people each having a hand.

This phrase is used when talking about something being held or controlled by multiple individuals, with each person having a hand involved.

Examples:

The responsibility is in their hands.
They held the decision in their hands.
The fate of the project is in their hands.

Show examples from the web [+]

Definition of have in their hands in the Idioms Dictionary. have in their hands phrase. What does have in their hands expression mean?

Alternatives:

in their possession
under their control
within their grasp
in their custody
in their ownership

in their hand

This phrase is correct and commonly used when referring to a single person or entity possessing a hand.

This phrase is used when talking about something being held or controlled by a single individual or entity.

Examples:

The key was in their hand.
She held the truth in her hand.
The power is in their hand.

Show examples from the web [+]

putting the drink in their hand if they are struggling to see it; changing the consistency of food and drinks (for example serving it in liquid or puree form).
Which one is correct? They have a book in their hand or They have a book in their hands. Thank you!
Sep 21, 2020 ... 21 September 2020 Martinet's engravings in Buffon (1770–83): variation in their hand-colouring and its implications for defining Echo ...
At no time may a driver hold the phone in their hand unless it's to obtain emergency assistance, if there is an immediate threat to life and safety, or when in ...
Apr 27, 2022 ... A.D.B. reflect the imperfections and humanity of HEJ Organics in their hand-rendered identity. Looking to help shape the industry by making ...
Apr 26, 2022 ... photo illustration of a person holding a phone in their hand with elon musk's twitter profile. Twitter has accepted a $44 billion bid from ...
Dec 1, 2021 ... With whisper in hand, students can share their understanding, by whispering the answer in their hand, and then releasing the answer.

Alternatives:

in their possession
under their control
within their grasp
in their custody
in their ownership

What Our Customers Are Saying

Our customers love us! We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283,125 votes.
Also check out our 2,100+ reviews on TrustPilot (4.9).

"Amazing! I like that the editors are REAL people and not A.I., like some use. The editors actually see clients as real people and not just apart of their job, and it shows. 💖"
moggie April 2025
"TextRanch has been a great help to me, especially at work because I often email my boss."
Jhey April 2025
"Thank you!"
Sachi Nakama July 2024
"I have literally been through chat, PI, claude, bard and bing and I got conflicting answers! Thank you! Human intelligence reigns!"
Retha July 2024
"Faster than AI"
CYNTHIA December 2023
"This was very helpful and I personally think this site is the best."
Kaden October 2023
"It was extremely thorough and very helpful!"
imperialelisa October 2023
"7 years without any disappointment. Always 100% satisfied. You guys are the best in the world at what you do. Thank you so much :)"
Zubair Alam October 2023
"In a world of text messages and online communication, this is great to have as a live tool. Thank you."
Selena October 2023
"Without textranch I would be stuck!"
宏祐 October 2023
"Accuracy and fast response. Personal comments from editor. Thank you."
Clh September 2023
"I wasn't aware of this service, it's fascinating and more reliable than standard IA tools available on the internet"
Arturo September 2023
"The fact that you can get reliable fast feedback on your texts."
Vinicius Antonio August 2023
"you guys are better than grammarly i'm being honest here"
ordinary July 2023
"OMG! This is really good than any other text correction tools I've used so far. Highly recommend this."
Vehan July 2023
"Very fast and accurate. thank you."
mojtaba July 2023
"I love this app because it's help to writing skills all of students ♥️"
Tarisini July 2023
"This was exactly the mistake I was looking for, the wording dind´t sound right at first. Better than grammarly!"
Ente July 2023
"The immediate help that I received was reassuring and very satisfactory. Thanks."
priiiyanshuu July 2023
"this helps A LOT for my studies."
kathnunez02 June 2023
"Woow!! I would never have expected such precision! Thank you soooo much!!"
Berta June 2023
"Real Time Editor and not AI. Many Thanks."
Priya June 2023
"The very first thing excites me about Textranch is how much your editors care."
sepideh June 2023
"The fact that texts are checked by human editors rather than by AI, etc. I appreciate this!"
Анна June 2023