handy
adjective
within easy reach; conveniently available; accessible.
handy
1 American
[han-dee]
/ ˈhæn di /
adjective
-
handier,
comparative
-
handiest
superlative
-
within easy reach; conveniently available; accessible.
The aspirins are handy.
-
convenient or useful.
A digital thermometer is a handy thing to have at home.
-
skillful with the hands; deft; dexterous.
a handy person.
- Synonyms:
- versatile, all-around
-
easily maneuvered.
a handy ship.
- Synonyms:
- yare, wieldy, manageable
Handy
2
American
[han-dee]
/ ˈhæn di /
noun
handy
1
British
/ ˈhændɪ /
adjective
-
conveniently or easily within reach
-
easy to manoeuvre, handle, or use
a handy tool
-
skilful with one's hands
Handy
2
British
/ ˈhændɪ /
noun
handy
Idioms
Synonym Usage
See dexterous.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of handy
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English (in surnames); see hand, -y 1
Explanation
Someone who's handy is skilled and clever, especially when it comes to making or fixing things. If you're handy in the kitchen, you're a good cook. A carpenter tends to be handy with a saw or a hammer, and if you're good at sewing, you're handy with a needle and thread. Another meaning of handy is "useful" or "convenient." Your laptop is handy because you use it for all kinds of things, and your smartphone is handy because you always keep it in your pocket — it's right there when you need it.
Vocabulary lists containing handy
Words from the 4th of July Songbook
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Father's Day Words
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-y
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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.
See Examples For:
Others are just using the suffix as a handy meme, far removed from its original context.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Beyond emergency situations, a multitool can be used in a variety of ways outside your vehicle, so it’s a good item to keep handy.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Bookmark or screenshot this column to keep the questions handy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
If you have not got a handy, leafy tree or a pinhole camera, Clough recommends taking a kitchen colander outside to create the same effect.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
“Math certainly came in handy when you drew that map of the island, didn’t it? Think you might study any harder now?”
From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins
Established Asian chipmakers can capitalise on the AI boom, partly because they remain innovative, Handy said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
"AI has not only provided big demand, it has also created shortages, and that has driven price escalation," Jim Handy, semiconductor expert at Objective Analysis, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
Gledhill, 44, lives at the Erwin Street home with his mother, who police said was in a relationship with Handy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
“We are definitely seeing a huge uptick in our reservations,” said Megan Handy, assistant general manager at the upscale Treebones resort.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
Lucas Cader asked me as he hopped up onto the counter at Handy Stop that afternoon.
From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley
And the Sense is handier in day-to-day life because you can set silent alarms, use it for contactless payments, and receive notifications.
From The Verge ● Aug. 5, 2022
Maybe this is just one more instance of Americans retreating further indoors and away from one another, but there’s a handier explanation for that in COVID-19.
From Slate ● Dec. 7, 2021
A cookbook can’t get much handier or helpful; the author lists plenty of variations and substitutions for all types of eaters.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 28, 2016
But it didn’t take her long to learn one of capitalism’s handier skills: creating market demand.
From BusinessWeek ● Oct. 16, 2014
“I don’t know, except that I was handier than anyone else.”
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
“The amazing Master Tool Corporation, a subsidiary of Fly-By-Night Industries, has entrusted who? Me! To show you! The handiest and the dandiest kitchen tool you’ve ever seen.”
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 11, 2022
One of its handiest features — the rotating earcup that adjusts volume — even works on both Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
From The Verge ● May 7, 2022
“But it’s really interesting, because if it works, it would be the handiest and cheapest way to enrich their environment.”
From Science Magazine ● Mar. 22, 2022
You'll get the cleaning secrets we've learned from grandma, a guide to our handiest tools and helpers, and so much more.
From Salon ● Mar. 22, 2022
“Not your relatives. It’s the mother, father and brother of that chap who died. They’ve traveled all the way from New York to see a dying soldier, and you’re the handiest one we’ve got.”
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
