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
-
after another user or owner.
He bought it secondhand.
-
indirectly; at second hand.
He heard the news secondhand.
Other Word Forms
- secondhandedness noun
Etymology
Origin of secondhand
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.
With secondhand shopping on the rise, one L.A. store has carved out a niche by helping influencers sell their surplus clothes.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026
With secondhand shopping on the rise, one L.A. store has carved out a niche by helping influencers sell their surplus clothes.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026
And they buy their baby stuff secondhand, as these goods depreciate faster than clothing, cars and electronics, they note.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 14, 2026
Online, the secondhand market is flourishing too, led by Xianyu, the Alibaba-owned answer to eBay with more than 600 million users, and Zhuanzhuan, a Tencent-backed resale platform known mainly for electronics.
From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026
“Thanks. I got it today. At the secondhand shop.”
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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.
