handout

[ hand-out ]
See synonyms for handout on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a portion of food or the like given to a needy person, as a beggar.

  1. any printed, typed, mimeographed, or photocopied copy of information, as a speech, policy statement, or fact sheet given to reporters, attendees at a meeting, or the like.

  2. anything given away for nothing, as a free sample of a product by an advertiser.

Origin of handout

1
First recorded in 1880–85 for def. 1 and in 1905–10 for def. 2; noun use of verb phrase hand out

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use handout in a sentence

  • Ando put his hand out quickly behind him, seized the long roll tied in yellow cloth, and began to unfasten it.

    The Dragon Painter | Mary McNeil Fenollosa
  • Hatch's stop to light a cigar and to hand out a couple to the other two gave me time to chuck that notion and grab another.

    The Wreckers | Francis Lynde
  • I stood up and took the draft and turned to go, but Mr. Spardleton thrust his hand out.

    The Professional Approach | Charles Leonard Harness
  • No trouble as long as you keep your hand out of another man's game, kid.

    Riders of the Silences | John Frederick
  • I'll just stay right in the game and play my hand out—and watch every deal.

    The Ghost Breaker | Charles Goddard

British Dictionary definitions for hand-out

hand-out

nounplural hand-outs
  1. clothing, food, or money given to a needy person

  2. a leaflet, free sample, etc, given out to publicize something

  1. a statement or other document distributed to the press or an audience to confirm, supplement, or replace an oral presentation

verbhand out (tr, adverb)
  1. to distribute

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with handout

handout

Distribute, as in The teacher handed out the test papers. [Late 1800s] For a synonym, see pass out, def. 1.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.