handful

[hand-fool]

noun

plural

handfuls 

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.

handful

/ 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

Spelling Note

See -ful.

Word History and Origins

Origin of handful¹

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

Example Sentences

On the menu today is spaghetti served with canned vegetables and tomato sauce and flavoured with generous handfuls of spices.

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This espionage campaign targeted roughly 30 entities across the U.S. and allied nations, with Anthropic validating “a handful of successful intrusions” into “major technology corporations and government agencies.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

There are a handful of exceptions: New York City, Seattle, Honolulu and, most recently, Portland, Ore., allow single-stair buildings up to six stories.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

So Lula talked of roadmaps away from fossil fuels to the handful of world leaders that came to Belém before the official start of the COP.

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A small handful of other players appear on the album, most prominently in “I Love You,” which erupts near the end with a wild drum fill performed by Jesso’s old pal Kane Ritchotte.

Read more on Los Angeles Times