hand-me-down
Americannoun
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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.
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any item not new that is or can be used again.
Our office furniture was a collection of hand-me-downs.
adjective
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passed along for further use by others.
some hand-me-down clothes from my older brother.
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borrowed or adapted from other sources; derivative.
a street full of hand-me-down architecture.
noun
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something, esp an outgrown garment, passed down from one person to another
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( as modifier )
a hand-me-down dress
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anything that has already been used by another
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( as modifier )
hand-me-down ideas
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Etymology
Origin of hand-me-down
First recorded in 1870–75
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.
"Conversely, when brides were familiar with the story of the dress, like with a hand-me-down, they were far more positive about it and treated it more like treasure than a cursed item."
From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026
Expensive cars and designer clothes weren’t an option; when he learned to drive he was pushing the family’s hand-me-down Acura.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2024
It is one of the most deprived wards in the city and she recalls a childhood of hand-me-down clothes and poverty.
From BBC • Jan. 23, 2024
Their 15-year-old hand-me-down Toyota Auris, nicknamed Martina, needs replacing.
From Reuters • Nov. 13, 2023
The mask was a hand-me-down, given to him by his father.
From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi
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.
