handful

American  

[hand-fool] / ˈhænd fʊl /

noun

• handfuls
  plural

1. the quantity or amount that the hand can hold.

   a handful of coins.

2. a small amount, number, or quantity.

   a handful of men.

3. Informal. a person or thing that is as much as one can manage or control.

   The baby's tantrums made him a handful.

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handful British  

/ ˈhændfʊl /

noun

1. the amount or number that can be held in the hand

2. a small number or quantity

3. informal a person or thing difficult to manage or control

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Spelling

See -ful.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• handfuls
  plural

Etymology

Origin of handful

before 900; Middle English, Old English. See hand, -ful

Explanation

A handful is just a little of something, or the amount you can hold in your hand. It can be a literal handful, like a handful of popcorn, or it can mean just a few, like a handful of trucks. You might find yourself eating handfuls of raspberries when you're supposed to be picking them to make jam. Another meaning of handful is "just a few," as in "There are only a handful of dogs at the dog park this morning." And a third way to use this word is to mean "incredibly difficult to handle." If your mom says, "You were a handful when you were a toddler," she means you were not easy.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

handful handfuls

The company, which has raised $50 million, laid off a handful of people working in marketing in January as it pivoted its product.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Many clubs will only have a handful, such as Blackburn Rovers with just four call-ups.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

Only a handful of people with this inherited form had ever been identified, making the mystery especially difficult to investigate.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

The entire post-war economic world order was organized by the U.S. and a handful of allies, along with the institutions that undergird global commitments to human rights and international law.

From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026

I’d only been in the staff section a handful of times.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Inevitably, I’ll finish my Red Vines before the movie has even started and then Alison will begrudgingly allow me to have a few handfuls of her popcorn, but she is not happy about it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

Dozens of Khan supporters gathered near the private hospital, while others flung handfuls of red flower petals at passing cars.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

Chilled sweet peas and ribbons of summer zucchini are tossed separately with olive oil, more lemon juice and handfuls of fresh herbs.

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026

It was, in effect, a couple of handfuls of stocks stuffed into a can and then left undisturbed for at least 10 years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

Grandma began to call Little Pinch by a new name, Big Pinch, because he grabbed handfuls of food and tried to stuff his face.

From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich