handful

[ hand-fool ]

noun

, plural hand·fuls.

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

Still, a handful of venues and companies plan to reopen sooner.

From Washington Blade

Only a handful still sees virtual weddings as a viable option.

From Quartz

Only a handful of closely related species now have it, they learned.

From Science News For Students

Unfortunately, as it stands today, the entire field of AI ethics is at grave risk of limiting itself to languages, ideas, theories, and challenges from a handful of regions—primarily North America, Western Europe, and East Asia.

From MIT Technology Review

Colbert is trapped in the same building with the same small handful of people every day, and the challenge is to keep making them laugh.

From Vox

Weiss is likely to get confirmed even as Warren and a handful of other progressive Democrats vote no.

From The Daily Beast

Knight lived down the street from Scalise, and had met him a handful of times at Republican Party events.

From The Daily Beast

With only a handful of great directors between the two videos, Fourgrounds can keep this going for years.

From The Daily Beast

Still, a handful of centuries-old establishments have survived and housed some pretty phenomenal history.

From The Daily Beast

The Finches have made no small point of the fact that Meredith is one of only a handful of women to ever write Wonder Woman.

From The Daily Beast

He fumbled under his overcoat for loose silver, drew out a handful and paid off the taximan.

From Project Gutenberg

Severely wounded, with a handful of followers, he fought his way through a column of the enemy and reached the bank of the Elster.

From Project Gutenberg

Soon Antler arose and laid down her load; and breaking a handful of branches, she hurried over the drifts and met the Cave-men.

From Project Gutenberg

But they are a mere handful, quite insignificant, kept alive mainly by the Most and Peukert feud.

From Project Gutenberg

It's a nuisance just at present, when I am so busy with Asturian affairs and the king is such a handful to hold.

From Project Gutenberg