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armful

American  
[ahrm-fool] / ˈɑrmˌfʊl /

noun

plural

armfuls

  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.

armful British  
/ ˈɑːmfʊl /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Spelling

See -ful.

Etymology

Origin of armful

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

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.

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

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 5, 2026

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

From BBC • Feb. 5, 2024

At least one delivery person wearing a motorcycle helmet and carrying an armful of bouquets sent from Jiangsu was stopped and questioned by two men in blue vests.

From Washington Times • Nov. 2, 2023

Dr. Hanage plans to take an armful of test kits along when he visits his parents in the United Kingdom for the first time in three years.

From New York Times • Dec. 23, 2022

Benji grabbed an armful of shoes and handed them to a guy with a name tag that read MIKE.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.