handkerchief
noun
a small piece of linen, silk, or other fabric, usually square, and used especially for wiping one's nose, eyes, face, etc., or for decorative purposes.
handkerchiefs
-
pluralof handkerchief.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Decades ago, the air was so polluted that her children wore handkerchiefs over their mouths when they went to school.
From Salon ● May 10, 2026
I ran through half a dozen handkerchiefs over the course of the proceedings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026
Her history of Kleenex tissues is a tour de force: We learn that the Kimberly-Clark Corp., which owns Kleenex, played on the fear that reusable handkerchiefs were essentially wads of tuberculosis germs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
Once there, the players frantically waved white table handkerchiefs above their heads to a live rendition of Freed From Desire expertly played by the in-house saxophonist.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2025
I took different scraps of fabric from her grandmother’s old handkerchiefs and ripped up an extra copy I had of the funeral program to make the background.
From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson
