hand·out
ˈhand-ˌau̇t 
1
: a portion of food, clothing, or money given to or as if to a beggar
2
: a folder or circular of information for free distribution
3
: a prepared statement released to the news media
handed out; handing out; hands out
1
a
: to give without charge
b
: to give freely
2
: administer
handed out a severe punishment
Synonyms
Examples of handout in a Sentence
Noun
He sat on the sidewalk asking for a handout.
The family wasn't interested in government handouts.
The handouts had all the major points of his speech outlined on them.
Verb
no system yet in place for handing out room assignments
Recent Examples on the Web
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
In this handout photo provided by the White House, US President Joe Biden meets with members of the National Security team regarding the unfolding missile attacks on Israel from Iran, on April 13, 2024 in the White House Situation Room in Washington, DC.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2024
The money is not a handout, though, and California isn’t the first state to offer down payment assistance.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
Logistically, this year’s festival is well organized and easy to navigate with both online guides and handout maps and daily schedules at info booths.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
About 20 percent of the country’s middle class has slumped below the poverty line, while 80 percent of Iranians rely on some form of government handout.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2024
But while cash handouts have been the government’s go-to approach, experts say that just throwing money at the problem isn’t necessarily the best solution.
—Chad De Guzman, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
But Abu Hussam also received regular cash handouts from a popular commander named Zoufi, who was killed by Israel in November.
—Claire Parker, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024
Sophia scorned the idea of leaving Kherson, and said her days are a race between three different aid handouts.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 23 Feb. 2024
Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
But many restaurateurs feel like stars are handed out for more than just what’s on the table.
—Lily O'Neill, The Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2024
Although she wasn’t shown in the clip, Jason and Travis’s mom, Donna Kelce, also got in on the action, handing out sandwiches to fans at the live show.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
As Bloomberg reports, Amazon is shutting down its Alexa Developer Rewards Program, and will stop handing out free AWS credits to developers.
—Joe Hindy, PCMAG, 10 Apr. 2024
As for neighboring Mississippi, more than 100,000 sandbags have been handed out to residents.
—Robert Shackelford, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
Where to find solar eclipse glasses Public libraries throughout metro Phoenix have been handing out free eclipse glasses while supplies last.
—The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
Kelsea Ballerini hosted the 2024 CMT Awards, which handed out trophies to Carly Pearce, Jelly Roll, and Lainey Wilson.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2024
From there, the brand became an early adopter of influencer marketing when Francis—who was a big fan of YouTube—started handing out free products to popular fitness gurus on the platform.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Europe, 10 Apr. 2024
Noun
For him this isn’t much of an investment; 36 million of his 114.7 million shares are a handout that didn’t require him to put up his own money.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
In this handout photo provided by the White House, US President Joe Biden meets with members of the National Security team regarding the unfolding missile attacks on Israel from Iran, on April 13, 2024 in the White House Situation Room in Washington, DC.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2024
The money is not a handout, though, and California isn’t the first state to offer down payment assistance.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
Logistically, this year’s festival is well organized and easy to navigate with both online guides and handout maps and daily schedules at info booths.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
About 20 percent of the country’s middle class has slumped below the poverty line, while 80 percent of Iranians rely on some form of government handout.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2024
But while cash handouts have been the government’s go-to approach, experts say that just throwing money at the problem isn’t necessarily the best solution.
—Chad De Guzman, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
But Abu Hussam also received regular cash handouts from a popular commander named Zoufi, who was killed by Israel in November.
—Claire Parker, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024
Sophia scorned the idea of leaving Kherson, and said her days are a race between three different aid handouts.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 23 Feb. 2024
Verb
According to the statement, the church will be providing more than 30 portable toilets, a medical tent staffed with four medics, a team equipped with overdose-reversing drug Narcan, and a booth to hand out bottles of water.
—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
But many restaurateurs feel like stars are handed out for more than just what’s on the table.
—Lily O'Neill, The Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2024
Although she wasn’t shown in the clip, Jason and Travis’s mom, Donna Kelce, also got in on the action, handing out sandwiches to fans at the live show.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
As Bloomberg reports, Amazon is shutting down its Alexa Developer Rewards Program, and will stop handing out free AWS credits to developers.
—Joe Hindy, PCMAG, 10 Apr. 2024
As for neighboring Mississippi, more than 100,000 sandbags have been handed out to residents.
—Robert Shackelford, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
Where to find solar eclipse glasses Public libraries throughout metro Phoenix have been handing out free eclipse glasses while supplies last.
—The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
Kelsea Ballerini hosted the 2024 CMT Awards, which handed out trophies to Carly Pearce, Jelly Roll, and Lainey Wilson.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2024
From there, the brand became an early adopter of influencer marketing when Francis—who was a big fan of YouTube—started handing out free products to popular fitness gurus on the platform.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Europe, 10 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'handout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near handout
Cite this Entry
“Handout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/handout. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
handout
noun
hand·out
ˈhan-ˌdau̇t
1
: food, clothing, or money given to a beggar
2
: an information sheet for free distribution
3
: a prepared statement released to the press
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