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secondhand

[ sek-uhnd-hand ]
/ ˈsɛk əndˈhénd /
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adjective
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
after another user or owner: He bought it secondhand.
indirectly; at second hand: He heard the news secondhand.
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Origin of secondhand

First recorded in 1645–55; second1 + hand

OTHER WORDS FROM secondhand

sec·ond·hand·ed·ness, noun

Other definitions for secondhand (2 of 2)

second hand
[ sek-uhnd hand for 1; sek-uhnd hand for 2, 3 ]
/ ˈsɛk ənd ˌhénd for 1; ˈsɛk ənd ˈhénd for 2, 3 /

noun
the hand that indicates the seconds on a clock or watch.
an assistant or helper, as to a worker or foreman.

Origin of second hand

1425–75 for def. 3; 1750–60 for def. 1; late Middle English
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use secondhand in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for secondhand (1 of 2)

second hand

noun
a pointer on the face of a timepiece that indicates the secondsCompare hour hand, minute hand

British Dictionary definitions for secondhand (2 of 2)

second-hand

adjective
previously owned or used
not from an original source or experience
dealing in or selling goods that are not newa second-hand car dealer
adverb
from a source of previously owned or used goodshe prefers to buy second-hand
not directlyhe got the news second-hand
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

Other Idioms and Phrases with secondhand

second hand

see at second hand.

The American HeritageŸ Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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