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secondhand
[ sek-uhnd-hand ]
/ ËsÉk ÉndËhĂŠnd /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
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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OTHER WORDS FROM secondhand
sec·ond·hand·ed·ness, nounWords nearby secondhand
Other definitions for secondhand (2 of 2)
second hand
[ sek-uhnd hand for 1; sek-uhnd hand for 2, 3 ]
/ ËsÉk Énd ËhĂŠnd for 1; ËsÉk Énd ËhĂŠnd 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
1425â75 for def. 3; 1750â60 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 HeritageÂź Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.