handful
noun
hand·ful
ˈhan(d)-ˌfu̇l 
plural handfuls
ˈhan(d)-ˌfu̇lz
also handsful
ˈhan(d)z-ˌfu̇l
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
Examples of handful in a Sentence
The children collected seashells by the handful.
Our dog is a real handful.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ibotta joins a handful of tech companies like Instacart and Reddit that enjoyed a solid debut in the public markets.
—
Anne D'innocenzio, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
The Charlotte Observer polled a handful of league evaluators from four different teams who projected him to be a mid-to-late-round pick in next week’s NFL Draft.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 18 Apr. 2024
Not only has Swift posted a handful of clips featuring snippets of song lyrics, murals have begun to appear in cities like Chicago with QR codes that link to mysterious clips.
—Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
Only a handful of states can claim a single-family home sale topping $100 million.
—Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, 17 Apr. 2024
Over the last 139 years, Dr Pepper has introduced a handful of fun flavor twists on the iconic original blend, including Strawberries & Cream, Cherry, Cherry Vanilla, and Cream Soda (in addition to zero sugar, diet, and real sugar varieties).
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 17 Apr. 2024
In the last year, Johnson took the job, putting him second in line of succession for the presidency, after a handful of Republican rebels last fall voted to remove Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., from the role.
—USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
The character seems fanciful, even if Marjorie Stewart is one of the handful based on real people.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024
And unlike Washington’s prior interventions to make peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors, the United States has no leverage at all against Hamas, a terrorist organization that is still holding upward of 100 hostages, including a handful of Americans.
—Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Anne D'innocenzio, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
The Charlotte Observer polled a handful of league evaluators from four different teams who projected him to be a mid-to-late-round pick in next week’s NFL Draft.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 18 Apr. 2024
Not only has Swift posted a handful of clips featuring snippets of song lyrics, murals have begun to appear in cities like Chicago with QR codes that link to mysterious clips.
—Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
Only a handful of states can claim a single-family home sale topping $100 million.
—Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, 17 Apr. 2024
Over the last 139 years, Dr Pepper has introduced a handful of fun flavor twists on the iconic original blend, including Strawberries & Cream, Cherry, Cherry Vanilla, and Cream Soda (in addition to zero sugar, diet, and real sugar varieties).
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 17 Apr. 2024
In the last year, Johnson took the job, putting him second in line of succession for the presidency, after a handful of Republican rebels last fall voted to remove Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., from the role.
—USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
The character seems fanciful, even if Marjorie Stewart is one of the handful based on real people.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024
And unlike Washington’s prior interventions to make peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors, the United States has no leverage at all against Hamas, a terrorist organization that is still holding upward of 100 hostages, including a handful of Americans.
—Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'handful.' 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 handful
Cite this Entry
“Handful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/handful. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
handful
noun
hand·ful
ˈhan(d)-ˌfu̇l
plural handfuls
-ˌfu̇lz
also handsful
ˈhan(d)z-ˌfu̇l
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
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