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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

• second hands
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• second hands
  plural

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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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

second hand second-hand

"It's detecting fraud if you change the price of something. It's detecting a counterfeit item for a second hand pair of Zara jeans."

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Besides going for American labels, they are also buying European luxury goods second hand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

The hardworking mother of three daughters called Los Angeles home and collected much of the material for her work from the city’s many flea markets and second hand shops.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Its Birkin handbags continue to sell at a premium to retail prices in the second hand market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

So I watch the second hand of the kitchen clock while Richard feeds Mom clues.

From "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead

Meanwhile, second-hand tanker prices have risen to a record $240 million.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

In 2024 it launched its own second-hand online marketplace in a bid to rival sites like eBay and Facebook Marketplace.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

"What matters most for me is the culture change and the change in sort of instinct around second-hand school clothes so that this becomes normal practice."

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

Thomas Bachellerie, who used to manage a games shop in Lyon, warned that second-hand sales sometimes made up almost a third of stores' turnover -- a problem since digital games "cannot be resold or lent".

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

On the instant when we come to realise that tragedy is second-hand.

From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner

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