panhandle

¹ American  

[pan-han-dl] / ˈpænˌhæn dl /

noun

panhandles plural

1. the handle of a pan.

2. (sometimes initial capital letter) a long, narrow, projecting strip of territory that is not a peninsula, especially such a part of a specified state.

   the panhandle of Alaska; the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles.

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panhandle ² American  

[pan-han-dl] / ˈpænˌhæn dl /

verb (used without object)

panhandles, present (3rd person singular) panhandled, past participle, past panhandling present participle

1. to accost passers-by on the street, riders on the subway, motorists stopped at red lights, etc., and beg from them.

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verb (used with object)

panhandles, present (3rd person singular) panhandled, past participle, past panhandling present participle

1. to accost and beg from.

2. to obtain by accosting and begging from someone.

panhandle ¹ British  

/ ˈpænˌhændəl /

noun

1. (sometimes capital) (in the US) a narrow strip of land that projects from one state into another

2. (in a South African city) a plot of land without street frontage

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panhandle ² British  

/ ˈpænˌhændəl /

verb

1. informal to accost and beg from (passers-by), esp on the street

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• panhandler
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• panhandles
  plural

Participles

• panhandling
  present
• panhandled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• panhandle
  simple
• panhandles
  simple
• have panhandled
  perfect
• has panhandled
  perfect
• am panhandling
  progressive
• are panhandling
  progressive
• is panhandling
  progressive
• have been panhandling
  perfect progressive
• has been panhandling
  perfect progressive

Past

• panhandled
  simple
• had panhandled
  perfect
• was panhandling
  progressive
• were panhandling
  progressive
• had been panhandling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will panhandle
  simple
• will have panhandled
  perfect
• will be panhandling
  progressive
• will have been panhandling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of panhandle¹

First recorded in 1855–60; pan ¹ + handle

Origin of panhandle²

An Americanism first recorded in 1885–90; so called from the resemblance of the extended arm to a panhandle ¹

Explanation

To panhandle is to beg for money outside, on a public street. Someone who needs money to buy a bus ticket home might panhandle. When people panhandle, they ask passers-by for cash. A man who's lost his job might panhandle so he can get something to eat. and a college student might panhandle on a busy street for money to buy a ticket to a concert. Panhandle is also a noun meaning a long, thin geographical area that's shaped like the handle of a frying pan. Both meanings date from the mid-19th century.

Example Sentences

Department of Homeland Security quietly bought an 825,000-square-foot warehouse in the state’s conservative western panhandle.

From Slate • Apr. 27, 2026

A similar warning was issued for parts of the Florida panhandle.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

Smith of Franklin County, Fla., in the state’s panhandle, initially criticized ICE officers for not communicating with local law enforcement but said he has since opened a dialogue with them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

Bentley: The first thing that comes to mind is the writing trip we took up to the Idaho panhandle — where the story was set and where the book was written.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 5, 2026

By and by Rosellini left academia, departed Seattle, and drifted north up the coast through British Columbia and the Alaska panhandle.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer