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

On my recent visit, a handful of stray tables and chairs offered a private viewing station to take my morning coffee and consider the new landscape of Detroit. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Aug. 2026

Outside of a brief Apple Music Petal Radio segment and a handful of short clips, there was no extended magazine cover run or late night circuit of the kind that shaped Sweetener, thank u, next or Eternal Sunshine. — Olivia Shalhoup, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

To be fair, there are a handful of headphones on the market that use replaceable batteries, including the Fender Mix and Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless. — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 1 Aug. 2026

Most performances by acts slated to play earlier were canceled, with a handful moving to different stages. — Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 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