hand-me-down

[ hand-mee-doun, han- ]

/ ˈhænd miˌdaʊn, ˈhæn- /

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See synonyms for: hand-me-down / hand-me-downs on Thesaurus.com

noun

an article of clothing passed on to another person after being used, outgrown, etc.: The younger children wore the hand-me-downs of the older ones.

any item not new that is or can be used again: Our office furniture was a collection of hand-me-downs.

adjective

passed along for further use by others: some hand-me-down clothes from my older brother.

borrowed or adapted from other sources; derivative: a street full of hand-me-down architecture.

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Origin of hand-me-down

First recorded in 1870–75

Words nearby hand-me-down

handloom, handloomed, handmade, handmaid, handmaiden, hand-me-down, hand-me-up, hand mower, hand-off, hand of writ, hand on

How to use hand-me-down in a sentence

The heaps of gifted and hand-me-down pink frilly clothes and accessories grew far faster than we were able to sort and store them.
Why I Finally Let My Girls Be Girly|Andy Hinds|May 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You might not have been so cheap this year and accepted a hand-me-down (I mean ALL they want is the candy anyhow).
Ding Dong, You Have Lice|Kent Sepkowitz|October 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
So back to the issue at hand—is there a reason not to wear hand-me-down costumes or to tell the kids not to share?
Ding Dong, You Have Lice|Kent Sepkowitz|October 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
These hand-me-down religions seldom fit, and professional theology, it seems to me, is mostly a dealing in ol' clo'.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great - Volume 12|Elbert Hubbard

For decades, collar-buttons have been on the hand-me-down shelves of humor; it is a mistake in the catalogue.
Seventeen|Booth Tarkington
Because the hand-me-down knowledge is no longer backed by the mental capacity of a Challon.
The Short Life|Francis Donovan
You mean that clodhopper with the tight-fitting hand-me-down in the seat behind usyesterday?
The Ranchman|Charles Alden Seltzer
Glass was a mild, colourless, middle-aged man, attired in worn hand-me-down garments.
Desert Conquest|A. M. Chisholm

British Dictionary definitions for hand-me-down

hand-me-down

noun informal

something, esp an outgrown garment, passed down from one person to another
(as modifier)a hand-me-down dress

anything that has already been used by another
(as modifier)hand-me-down ideas

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

hand-me-down

Origin of hand-me-down

Words nearby hand-me-down

Words related to hand-me-down

How to use hand-me-down in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hand-me-down