hand-me-down
adjective
1
: put in use by one person or group after being used, discarded, or handed down by another
hand-me-down clothes
hand-me-down anecdotes
2
: ready-made and usually cheap and shoddy
hand-me-down
noun
Examples of hand-me-down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Local Facebook groups, previously filled with weekend activity recommendations and hand-me-down clothes offerings, are now swamped with moms ready to go to great lengths to help one another − even while in dire need themselves.
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John Bacon, USA TODAY, 3 Oct. 2024
Many would say to just call Mama when all else fails, but if that’s not an option, see if this hand-me-down advice can help get you back on track—one sanity-saving load at a time.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2024
Both my first and middle names were hand-me-downs, the monikers of my parents' good friends.
—April Wallace, arkansasonline.com, 3 Oct. 2024
Munk was bullied mercilessly in elementary school for wearing hand-me-down clothing and shoes.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hand-me-down 
John Bacon, USA TODAY, 3 Oct. 2024
Many would say to just call Mama when all else fails, but if that’s not an option, see if this hand-me-down advice can help get you back on track—one sanity-saving load at a time.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2024
Both my first and middle names were hand-me-downs, the monikers of my parents' good friends.
—April Wallace, arkansasonline.com, 3 Oct. 2024
Munk was bullied mercilessly in elementary school for wearing hand-me-down clothing and shoes.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hand-me-down
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hand-me-down.' 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 hand-me-down
Cite this Entry
“Hand-me-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand-me-down. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.
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