secondhand
Americanadjective
-
not directly known or experienced; obtained from others or from books.
Most of our knowledge is secondhand.
-
previously used or owned.
secondhand clothes.
-
dealing in previously used goods.
a secondhand bookseller.
adverb
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after another user or owner.
He bought it secondhand.
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indirectly; at second hand.
He heard the news secondhand.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of secondhand
Explanation
Anything that's secondhand has been used before. Your secondhand boots may look brand new, but they were owned by someone else before you bought them. Things that aren't new are secondhand, so you might buy a secondhand car from your grandma or shop at a secondhand clothing store to get good deals. You can also use this adjective to mean "not from an original or primary source." If your sister tells you that her best friend told her that he saw a famous movie star at the coffee shop, that's secondhand information.
Vocabulary lists containing secondhand
Idioms and Expressions, List 3
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Baseball in April
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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.
It also omits Lee and focuses primarily on James Dean’s Cal Trask, one of Cathy’s sons, leaving most of her story to secondhand whispers.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
The conflict highlights an emerging debate about synthetic scents: Many hotels use them, but some sensitive guests consider those aromas as welcome as secondhand smoke.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
They climb ladders, romp in mud and push each other around in secondhand wheelchairs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
The companies are betting that as the next generation of fashion enthusiasts comes of age, an even larger wedge of their wallets will go to secondhand fashion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Almost everything that’s ever gone wrong in my life I can trace back to a secondhand car.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
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.
