handy
1 Americanadjective
-
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
noun
adjective
-
conveniently or easily within reach
-
easy to manoeuvre, handle, or use
a handy tool
-
skilful with one's hands
noun
Related Words
See dexterous.
Other Word Forms
- handiness noun
Etymology
Origin of handy
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English (in surnames); hand, -y 1
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.
In the little dish I keep on my desk that holds stuff I like to keep handy like paper clips, bobby pins, and my favorite passion fruit–watermelon lip moisturizer.
From Literature
Musk’s five-step algorithm gets Tesla and SpaceX employees to achieve stretch goals and innovate, and it’s sure to come in handy in his push to build the world’s largest AI chip factory.
Such status could come in handy if consumers tighten their budgets on the back of broader inflation and higher interest rates.
From Barron's
“The Comeback” is a handy distilling mechanism for an industry that can’t help drowning itself in excess.
From Salon
She said the organisation had also come in handy for providing pants, trainers and shoes, as well as helping her to get the specific fleeces her special needs daughter required.
From BBC
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.
