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

• couple
• few
• scatter
• scattering
• smatter
• smattering
• sprinkle
• sprinkling

Examples of handful in a Sentence

The children collected seashells by the handful.

Our dog is a real handful.

Recent Examples on the Web

World Tour wraps in Miami on Aug. 31 after a handful of United States shows. —Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 12 July 2024

Land for housing Buckley’s work includes a handful of residential developments in the pipeline, all being built under her own firm Prospera Real Estate Collective. —Rebecca San Juan, Miami Herald, 12 July 2024

Getting to that point will require further research, as the satellite analysis has proved reliable only in a handful of scenarios — the latest being in Rolling Hills Estates. —Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2024

So far, at least 19 Democratic House lawmakers have publicly called on Biden to drop out of the race, including a handful who put out statements after the NATO summit was done. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 12 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

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

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