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.
easily maneuvered.
a handy ship.
conveniently or easily within reach
easy to manoeuvre, handle, or use
a handy tool
skilful with one's hands
See dexterous.
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English (in surnames); see hand, -y 1
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Giuseppe Capanna, a product safety engineer at the campaigning charity Electrical Safety First, said lithium batteries carry enormous amounts of energy, which is handy for recharging devices.
From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026
Lucinda, my younger sister, was handy and could fix anything.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 16, 2026
"Pakistan has traditionally enjoyed a positive reputation for its use of language in bilateral and multilateral negotiations," the former ambassador added, skills that had "come in handy".
From Barron's • Jun. 16, 2026
My favorite section of the neighborhood grocery store happens to be the non-perishable aisle, where boxed broths, bouillon cubes, instant noodles and other handy pantry staples live.
From Salon • Jun. 13, 2026
At least the book of combat spells would come in handy.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
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.
