armful

American  

[ahrm-fool] / ˈɑrmˌfʊl /

noun

• armfuls
  plural

1. as much as a person can hold or carry in an arm or both arms.

2. Informal. a girl or woman with a well-rounded figure.

3. Informal. an obstreperous child; handful.

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armful British  

/ ˈɑːmfʊl /

noun

1. the amount that can be held by one or both arms

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Spelling

See -ful.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• armfuls
  plural

Etymology

Origin of armful

First recorded in 1570–80; arm ¹ + -ful

Explanation

When you have an armful of something, you have as much as you can carry in your arms. An armful of wildflowers is probably enough to fill up a vase or two when you get home. An armful is an inexact amount, but a good way to describe the quantity of anything you can carry held against your body by your arms, or resting on your arms themselves. You might lug an armful of packages into the post office or leave an orchard with an armful of apples. The word armful dates from the late 16th century, from arm and the suffix -ful, "full of."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

armful armfuls

Standing by the DJ booth with an armful of shopping bags, a tourist named Paul told me that he and his son have taken several trips from the Philippines to the States.

From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026

Or buying an armful of first editions of Denis’ work from Bonners Books.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2026

“Maybe it's just because we've been buying it by the armful for the last three years, but I definitely have been seeing a lot of pandan,” says Jacques.

From Salon ● Feb. 3, 2025

Double bonus points if you have an armful of the things.

From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2024

Mom’s plan was for her and Maureen to go into the dressing room of a store with an armful of new clothes for Maureen to try on.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

Ahead of the concert, she visited a BTS pop-up store in Seoul and left with two armfuls of shopping bags.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026

Mall goers "were carrying a bag or two, not the armfuls that you would see in pre-pandemic years. They are not blowing the budget today."

From Reuters ● Nov. 24, 2023

The store quietly closed in fall 2022 amid a rash of brazen shoplifting incidents where crooks would walk out with armfuls of merchandise, according to local NBC affiliate KGW-TV.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 10, 2023

We turned over armfuls of fresh-cut flowers from our gardens.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 13, 2022

Tree-ear laid armfuls of straw on the hillside, and there Min sat, the hollows under his eyes dark with exhaustion.

From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park