handful

American  

[hand-fool] / ˈhænd fʊl /

noun

handfuls plural

1. the quantity or amount that the hand can hold.

   a handful of coins.

2. a small amount, number, or quantity.

   a handful of men.

3. Informal. a person or thing that is as much as one can manage or control.

   The baby's tantrums made him a handful.

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handful British  

/ ˈhændfʊl /

noun

1. the amount or number that can be held in the hand

2. a small number or quantity

3. informal a person or thing difficult to manage or control

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Spelling

See -ful.

Etymology

Origin of handful

before 900; Middle English, Old English. See hand, -ful

Explanation

A handful is just a little of something, or the amount you can hold in your hand. It can be a literal handful, like a handful of popcorn, or it can mean just a few, like a handful of trucks. You might find yourself eating handfuls of raspberries when you're supposed to be picking them to make jam. Another meaning of handful is "just a few," as in "There are only a handful of dogs at the dog park this morning." And a third way to use this word is to mean "incredibly difficult to handle." If your mom says, "You were a handful when you were a toddler," she means you were not easy.

Example Sentences

“Southern California was really her inspiration,” said Lynell George, a journalist based in Los Angeles who wrote the book “A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia E. Butler.”

From New York Times • Feb. 7, 2023

Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths” was along the 15 films shortlisted in the international film category, one of the most competitive.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 21, 2022

He was in a Beverly Hills hotel promoting his latest film, “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truth,” now streaming on Netflix.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2022

"Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths" is streaming on Netflix starting Dec.16.

From Salon • Dec. 16, 2022

Handful after handful of dirt ran through our ringers like hourglass sands of ancient days, and the clicking relics were left in our hands in the quest of the blue dog's head.

From Virginia: the Old Dominion by Hutchins, Frank W.