handful

noun

hand·​ful ˈhan(d)-ˌfu̇l How to pronounce handful (audio)
plural handfuls ˈhan(d)-ˌfu̇lz How to pronounce handful (audio) also handsful ˈhan(d)z-ˌfu̇l How to pronounce handful (audio)
Synonyms of handfulnext
1
: as much or as many as the hand will grasp
2
: a small quantity or number
a handful of people
3
: as much as one can manage
the kids are quite a handful

Synonyms of handful

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Examples of handful in a Sentence

The children collected seashells by the handful. Our dog is a real handful.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The race is among a handful of Senate contests this year expected to determine control of the chamber. — Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026 Ask a handful of leading assistants to draft an email, debug a function or summarize a report, and the outputs are close enough that most people couldn’t reliably tell them apart. — Aditi Sinha, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026 Looking at a Failure and Calling It Triumph Just a few days before the meeting in Oviedo, BP put Benson and a handful of other scientists on a chartered flight from London to Algeria. — Katie Worth, ProPublica, 30 Oct. 2026 Rich is one of a handful of Kansas City DJs who will play music at WyCo polling places on Tuesday. — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 30 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for handful

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of handful was before the 12th century

Rhymes for handful

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Browse Nearby Words

hand frame
handful
hand gallop
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Cite this Entry

“Handful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/handful. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Kids Definition

handful

noun
hand·​ful ˈhan(d)-ˌfu̇l How to pronounce handful (audio)
plural handfuls -ˌfu̇lz How to pronounce handful (audio) also handsful ˈhan(d)z-ˌfu̇l How to pronounce handful (audio)
1
: as much or as many as the hand will grasp
a handful of jelly beans
2
: a small quantity or number
a handful of people
3
: as much as one can control or manage
the three babies are quite a handful
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