handful

American  

[hand-fool] / ˈhænd fʊl /

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.

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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.

Etymology

Origin of handful

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

Example Sentences

To travelers who still find themselves waiting in hours-long security lines, the decision to deploy ICE agents at a handful of U.S. airports might seem like a huge waste of time and money.

From Salon

At the moment, only a handful of ships make it through the strait each day.

From BBC

In a handful of those cases, we found their phone numbers or those of family members, and we reached out to hear their stories.

From Salon

A handful were posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the progressive, degenerative brain disease found in people with a history of repetitive head impacts.

From Los Angeles Times

Burrows had previously retracted the statement, in which he is also alleged to have said the group suing the publisher were "a small handful of my targets".

From BBC