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• second hand
  second hand

  noun

  the hand that indicates the seconds on a clock or watch.
• second-hand
  second-hand

  adjective

  previously owned or used

second hand

American  

[sek-uhnd hand, sek-uhnd hand] / ˈsɛk ənd ˌhænd, ˈsɛk ənd ˈhænd /

noun

1. the hand that indicates the seconds on a clock or watch.

2. an assistant or helper, as to a worker or foreman.

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idioms

1. at second hand, from or through an intermediate source or means; secondhand.

   She had the news at second hand.

second-hand ¹ British  

adjective

1. previously owned or used

2. not from an original source or experience

3. dealing in or selling goods that are not new

   a second-hand car dealer

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adverb

1. from a source of previously owned or used goods

   he prefers to buy second-hand

2. not directly

   he got the news second-hand

second hand ² British  

noun

1. a pointer on the face of a timepiece that indicates the seconds Compare hour hand minute hand

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second hand More Idioms  

1. see at second hand.

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Etymology

Origin of second hand

1425–75 second hand for def. 3; 1750–60 second hand for def. 1; late Middle English

Example Sentences

The government had already dropped plans to include second hand cars in the ban, and now it has decided to scrap the policy altogether.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

People at Accrington's indoor car boot sale sell everything from records to second hand tools.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026

The second hand market is also growing, but from a low base.

From BBC • Nov. 21, 2025

Tom Yuen, 31, from Cardiff, was searching for second hand door panels when he found the note, from 1947, which he says felt like a "handshake through time".

From BBC • Jan. 11, 2025

I glanced up at the big clock, whose minute hand never seemed to move in spite of the second hand winding around and around.

From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia