handful
[hand-foo l]
- the quantity or amount that the hand can hold: a handful of coins.
- a small amount, number, or quantity: a handful of men.
- 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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Origin of handful
Usage note
See -ful.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for handful
Contemporary Examples
Weiss is likely to get confirmed even as Warren and a handful of other progressive Democrats vote no.
Rather than downing a handful of pills, I planned to take my life by opening a vein in each wrist.
Knight lived down the street from Scalise, and had met him a handful of times at Republican Party events.
With only a handful of great directors between the two videos, Fourgrounds can keep this going for years.
Still, a handful of centuries-old establishments have survived and housed some pretty phenomenal history.
Historical Examples
He compares it to little things, to a tiny seed, to a handful of leaven, to a pearl.
De ProfundisOscar Wilde
Now, every man who was a handful or two short of his crop began to look at us doubtfully.
The Trail BookMary Austin
Yates caught up a handful of sand, and flung it lightly against the pane.
In the Midst of AlarmsRobert Barr
He stooped, thinking he had caught it, but took up only a handful of soapy foam.
The DreamEmile Zola
Then put them into the fish-kettle with cold water and a handful of salt.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various BranchesEliza Leslie
handful
- the amount or number that can be held in the hand
- a small number or quantity
- informal a person or thing difficult to manage or control
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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
Word Origin and History for handful
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper