fistful

American  

[fist-fool] / ˈfɪst fʊl /

noun

• fistfuls
  plural

1. a handful.

   a fistful of pennies.

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Spelling

See -ful.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fistfuls
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fistful

First recorded in 1605–15; fist ¹ + -ful

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fistful fistfuls

Grace reached into a drawer, grabbed a fistful of Ugandan shilling notes, and handed over the cash.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026

Banks, investment funds, governments, and insurance companies bought them by the fistful.

From Barron's ● Feb. 24, 2026

Or a Mediterranean-ish sheet pan of squash, eggplant, and onions, finished with thin-sliced cucumbers and a fistful of herbs.

From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2026

As the firefighters pulled on their protective yellow jackets and pants, and filled their drip torches with a mixture of diesel and gasoline, Nielson bent down and grabbed a fistful of the yellow grass.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2025

But there was no time to even hope it would reach its mark, for Elowen flung it aside with a fistful of energy.

From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo

On Wednesday, dozens of people stood on the side of an eight-lane highway leading east out of the capital trying their luck by waving fistfuls of bills at passing vehicles.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

From the 17th to 19th centuries, spaghetti was a popular street food in Naples, typically enjoyed with one’s bare hands in large fistfuls.

From Salon ● Feb. 14, 2026

I see Corey and Hailey and Colton and Hannah…all staring dead-eyed into their laptops, clutching fistfuls of hair.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025

To the side, women wailed, beating their chests or throwing fistfuls of rice and rose petals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2025

Holding fistfuls of her dress in my hand.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd