handgrip

noun

1. A handle; the portion of a handle that the hand occupies.

   “Near-synonym: grip”

   “As well as demonstrating operating facilities, full-size car body models are used for experimenting with new types of interior finish, systems of lighting, positioning of route diagrams and advertisements, and the best form of windscreens at doorways, and the height and location of handgrips and handrails.”

   “On a motorcycle, you work the clutch by squeezing a lever on your left handgrip, and you operate the shift lever with your left foot.”

2. A covering (often rubber or foam) on a handle, designed to allow the user a more comfortable or more secure hold on the handle.

   “Each cane consists of three parts: (1) the handle (which may or may not be covered by a rubber handgrip), (2) the shaft, and (3) the base (which is usually ...”

3. A handshake; a way of gripping hands with another person.

   “There are also "secret" signs and handgrips, which initiates are never supposed to reveal lest they suffer a fate worse than death.”

4. The ability to grip something with a hand.

   “The patient's handgrip is also tested for muscle strength.”

5. A grasp or grip.

   ““I heard that this youngster had the strength of thirty men in his handgrip!””

   “The captain of evil discovered himself in a handgrip harder than anything he had encountered in any man on the face of the earth.”