secondhand

[sek-uhnd-hand]

adjective

1. not directly known or experienced; obtained from others or from books.

   Most of our knowledge is secondhand.

2. previously used or owned.

   secondhand clothes.

3. dealing in previously used goods.

   a secondhand bookseller.

adverb

1. after another user or owner.

   He bought it secondhand.

2. indirectly; at second hand.

   He heard the news secondhand.

Other Word Forms

• secondhandedness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of secondhand¹

First recorded in 1645–55; second ¹ + hand

Example Sentences

O’Neal hired a company that developed scents for Las Vegas casinos in an effort to eliminate the musty aroma that often plagues secondhand stores.

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More than a decade later, the North Carolina-based artist still gets a thrill from the treasure hunt at secondhand stores.

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It was nearly eight a.m. when Michael sailed through the front door to find his sixteen-year-old babysitter perched on his secondhand couch.

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With few possessions other than his cats, he proceeded to furnish the unit with secondhand items he found primarily on Facebook Marketplace.

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Breathing in secondhand smoke in prison is “inhuman and degrading treatment” if the judges say so, while not being allowed to produce secondhand smoke is a violation of the “right to private life.”

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