\ ˈhan(d)-mē-ˌdau̇n
\
\
Definition of hand-me-down
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
Learn More About hand-me-down
Statistics for hand-me-down
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Hand-me-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand-me-down. Accessed 27 Jan. 2022.
Style: MLA
MLA
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
More Definitions for hand-me-down
hand-me-down
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of hand-me-down
: owned or used by someone else before you : secondhand
See the full definition for hand-me-down in the English Language Learners Dictionary
Test Your Vocabulary
Farm Idioms Quiz
-
- What does 'poke' refer to in the expression 'pig in a poke'?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
-
“In Vino Veritas” and Other Latin Phrases to Live By
Top 10 Latin Phrases
-
10 Polite Words for Impolite People
'Smatchet', 'Fustilugs', and more
-
Is It 'Home In' or 'Hone In'?
Both are used, but home in does a better job of...
-
Merriam-Webster's Words of the Week - Jan. 21
From the week ending 1/21/2022
Ask the Editors
Share hand-me-down
Time Traveler for hand-me-down
The first known use of hand-me-down was in 1826
See more words from the same year