fistful

American  

[fist-fool] / ˈfɪst fʊl /

noun

fistfuls plural

1. a handful.

   a fistful of pennies.

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Spelling

See -ful.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fistfuls
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fistful

First recorded in 1605–15; fist ¹ + -ful

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fistful fistfuls

An afterthought among Argentina's plethora of star forwards - sporadic international appearances and a fistful of goals.

From BBC ● May 28, 2026

Grace reached into a drawer, grabbed a fistful of Ugandan shilling notes, and handed over the cash.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026

Banks, investment funds, governments, and insurance companies bought them by the fistful.

From Barron's ● Feb. 24, 2026

Or a Mediterranean-ish sheet pan of squash, eggplant, and onions, finished with thin-sliced cucumbers and a fistful of herbs.

From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2026

Its spotted breast lost feathers by the fistful.

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill

On Wednesday, dozens of people stood on the side of an eight-lane highway leading east out of the capital trying their luck by waving fistfuls of bills at passing vehicles.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

From the 17th to 19th centuries, spaghetti was a popular street food in Naples, typically enjoyed with one’s bare hands in large fistfuls.

From Salon ● Feb. 14, 2026

When the fistfuls of hair persisted, I tore through Los Angeles for someone, anyone, who could tell me why this was happening and how to make it stop.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2025

I see Corey and Hailey and Colton and Hannah…all staring dead-eyed into their laptops, clutching fistfuls of hair.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025

He took two fistfuls of his own hair, squatted on the floor and screamed up at the pigeon.

From "Wringer" by Jerry Spinelli