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hands-off

[ handz-awf, -of ]

/ ˈhændzˈɔf, -ˈɒf /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR hands-off ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

characterized by nonintervention or noninterference: the new hands-off foreign policy.

remote or unfriendly; estranging: a truculent, hands-off manner toward strangers.

Origin of hands-off

First recorded in 1900–05

Words nearby hands-off

hands down, hands off, hands up, hands-down, hands-free, hands-off, hands-on, handsaw, handsel, handset, handsew

Example sentences from the Web for hands-off

For years, President Obama took a hands-off approach to Iraqi politics.

Exclusive: Inside Obama's Push for Regime Change in Iraq |Eli Lake |August 11, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
For the most part, the colonels and generals were hands-off and allowed us to do the job we were trained to do.

Gagging the Corps: A Marine Commandant’s War on Newsprint |David Abrams |February 26, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Team Obama had better hope its hands-off strategy for saving the two-state solution works.

Why Obama Will Ignore Israel |Peter Beinart |December 10, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
The better decision is incremental reforms at the state level and a hands-off approach from the feds.

Why Legalizing Marijuana on Election Day Might Not Be a Good Idea |Tony Doukopil |October 29, 2012 |DAILY BEAST

When that happens, even the “hands-off” behavior may bring hands-on cuffs.

Why Do Men Flash People on Twitter? |T. Byram Karasu |June 11, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
Secretary Johnson had obviously adopted a hands-off policy on integration.

Integration of the Armed Forces, 1940-1965 |Morris J. MacGregor, Jr.
We interfered under a most questionable extension of the Monroe Doctrine, and asserted the principle of "Hands-off."

"Imperialism" and "The Tracks of Our Forefathers" |Charles Francis Adams
So far as foreign powers are concerned, we have laid down the principle of "Hands-off."

"Imperialism" and "The Tracks of Our Forefathers" |Charles Francis Adams

British Dictionary definitions for hands-off

hands-off

adjective

(of a machine, device, etc) without need of manual operation

denoting a policy, etc, of deliberate noninvolvement a hands-off strategy towards industry