Cope with
Cope with verb - To deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently.
Usage example: coped with the latest foul-up gracefully
Handle
Handle verb - To deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently.
Usage example: as host of a live TV talk show, she must handle any situation that comes up
Cope with is a synonym for handle in manage topic. You can use "Cope with" instead a verb "Handle", if it concerns topics such as deal with, cope.
Mutual synonyms
Both terms in one sentence
- One is how to cope with defeat, the other's how to handle a shotgun.
Source: Post-Climax Confrontation -
Trying to tell people also got her labeled crazy and mercilessly mocked for years until she was driven into seclusion, and resulted in years of therapy and denial to try to cope with seeing something that most normal people cannot handle.
Source: Film / Jumanji - They may both be seriously endangered when reality goes on the fritz, or the Straight Man may not be able to cope with the oddities and lets the Lovable Rogue deal with it, though they may be an Adventure Duo who are well-equipped to handle the situation.
Source: Psychedelic Comedy Bromance
Cite this Source
Handle and Cope with. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/cope_with/handle
Cope with & Handle. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/cope_with/handle>.
Handle or Cope with. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/cope_with/handle.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "cope with" and "handle" have occurred on timeline