handful

noun

hand·​ful ˈhan(d)-ˌfu̇l 

plural handfuls ˈhan(d)-ˌfu̇lz  also handsful ˈhan(d)z-ˌfu̇l 

1

: as much or as many as the hand will grasp

2

: a small quantity or number

a handful of people

3

: as much as one can manage

the kids are quite a handful

Synonyms of handful

• few
• couple

Examples of handful in a Sentence

The children collected seashells by the handful.

Our dog is a real handful.

Recent Examples on the Web

After weeks of scratching and clawing just to get a handful of runs across the plate, the Red Sox burst out of the gate Friday with one of their most productive offensive innings in ages. —Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 23 May 2026

In that three-way race, a handful of special interests have now put more than $1 million into various efforts to elect businessman Tim Gaspar. —Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2026

Why Soil Becomes Compacted Soil can become compacted for a handful of reasons. —Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 23 May 2026

Only a small handful of games have done that, like Nintendo with Mario Kart World, but due to player pushback, almost no one else has dared to go that high. —Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for handful

• brimful
• mirthful
• mouthful
• roomful
• spoonful
• full
• pull
• wool

Kids Definition

handful

noun

hand·​ful ˈhan(d)-ˌfu̇l 

plural handfuls -ˌfu̇lz  also handsful ˈhan(d)z-ˌfu̇l 

1

: as much or as many as the hand will grasp

a handful of jelly beans

2

: a small quantity or number

a handful of people

3

: as much as one can control or manage

the three babies are quite a handful