handkerchief
noun
a small piece of linen, silk, or other fabric, usually square, and used especially for wiping one's nose, eyes, face, etc., or for decorative purposes.
handkerchiefs
-
pluralof handkerchief.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The insider further revealed that the lovers spent 20 minutes exchanging their handwritten vows, and that they handed out custom handkerchiefs, embroidered with a “TT” and lyrics from Swift’s 2014 song “Blank Space.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 7, 2026
Decades ago, the air was so polluted that her children wore handkerchiefs over their mouths when they went to school.
From Salon ● May 10, 2026
Her history of Kleenex tissues is a tour de force: We learn that the Kimberly-Clark Corp., which owns Kleenex, played on the fear that reusable handkerchiefs were essentially wads of tuberculosis germs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
Others shake their heads, fold handkerchiefs to their faces and look away.
From BBC ● Jan. 27, 2025
As we steamed into the harbor, passengers on ferryboats waved their hats & handkerchiefs at us.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
