handicap

IPA: hˈændikæp

Something that prevents, hampers, or hinders.
(sports) An allowance of a certain amount of time or distance in starting, granted in a race (or other contest of skill) to the competitor possessing disadvantages; or an additional weight or other hindrance imposed upon the one possessing advantages, in order to equalize, as much as possible, the chances of success.
(sometimes considered offensive) The disadvantage itself, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people.
A race or similar contest in which there is an allowance of time, distance, weight, or other advantage, to equalize the chances of the competitors.
(obsolete, uncountable, card games) An old card game, similar to lanterloo.
(obsolete, uncountable) Synonym of hand-in-cap (“old English trading game”)

Examples of "handicap" in Sentences

Their biggest handicap is the inability to use their app as a universal reader.
To me, Tyler's only plausible handicap is his lack of a reputation for brutality to keep him in power.
The main handicap is uncertain rainfall, with the occurrence at irregular intervals of very serious droughts.
Scobee, whose handicap is 0, which officially makes him a scratch golfer, is participating in the qualifying for the experience of playing in a big-time tournament.
Of course, the other handicap is the tendency by some to associate ID theory with the idea that natural science has to be modified to admit supernatural explanations.
I have seen video of a gal fall out of the slingshot .... she had some sort of hip issue (as in handicap) and she hung on to the seat belt while her friend held on to the collar of her shirt.
As you hear a penny clink inside the bowl and see the mound accumulate, you'll feel like the golfer whose handicap is dropping or the chess player whose rating is climbing toward master or grandmaster levels.
In contrast, I seldom enjoy golf while I'm playing it - my handicap is my swing - but in between rounds I've spent a truly massively useless amount of my life thinking about golf, especially golf course architecture.