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

In a world filled with trillions upon trillions of atoms, spotting a handful that barely exist sounds almost impossible. —Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 25 Apr. 2026

Those increases were offset by steep drops in a handful of large states, including Minnesota and Texas. —ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026

Last month, West Hollywood passed an ordinance seeking to become the first city in California and one of just a handful across the country to offer domestic partnerships to poly groups. —Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026

The good news is that there are a handful of pure space prison movies where some of our favorite actors have been sent to the cosmic chokey. —Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 25 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for handful

• brimful
• 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