panhandle

[ pan-han-dl ]

See synonyms for: panhandle panhandling panhandler on Thesaurus.com

noun

the handle of a pan.
(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.

Origin of panhandle

First recorded in 1855–60; pan¹ + handle

Other definitions for panhandle (2 of 2)

panhandle²

[ pan-han-dl ]

verb (used without object),pan·han·dled, pan·han·dling.

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

verb (used with object),pan·han·dled, pan·han·dling.

to accost and beg from.
to obtain by accosting and begging from someone.

Origin of panhandle

An Americanism first recorded in 1885–90; so called from the resemblance of the extended arm to a panhandle¹

Other words from panhandle

pan·han·dler, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use panhandle in a sentence

More than 600 permanent jobs are projected, and economic benefits are expected to span across the region and into the nearby West Virginia northern panhandle.
West Virginians Were Promised an Economic Revival. It Hasn’t Happened Yet. | by Ken Ward Jr. | October 29, 2020 | ProPublica
Life-threatening flash flooding and river flooding is likely over portions of the central Gulf Coast from the western Florida panhandle to southeastern Louisiana.
NOAA is changing the way it talks about hurricanes | Greta Moran | September 22, 2020 | Popular-Science
Laya flew to New York and found Shulamith emaciated and panhandling, carrying a bag holding a hammer and an unopened can of food.
Shulamith Firestone's Madness | David Frum | April 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Dude probably sold the boots, probably walks around barefoot because he makes more money panhandling that way.
Officer’s Gift to ‘Homeless’ Man Triggers Controversy | Winston Ross | December 7, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for panhandle (1 of 2)

panhandle¹

/ (ˈpænˌhændəl) /

noun

(sometimes capital) (in the US) a narrow strip of land that projects from one state into another
(in a South African city) a plot of land without street frontage

British Dictionary definitions for panhandle (2 of 2)

panhandle²

/ (ˈpænˌhændəl) /

verb

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

Origin of panhandle

C19: probably a back formation from panhandler a person who begs with a pan

Derived forms of panhandle

panhandler, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse