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

• 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

Global Deployment of Hydrogen Trucks Chile joins a handful of other countries who have deployed hydrogen fuel cell trucks for long-haul trucking, including the United States, China, South Korea, Japan, and several members of the European Union. —IEEE Spectrum, 6 Aug. 2025

The fight, which was set up over a month ago on Smackdown and was heavily promoted since then, marked Jelly Roll’s first official match as a wrestler after making a handful of appearances at WWE events over the past year. —Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2025

Normally, Delaware’s five state parks may report a handful of summer jellyfish stings, said Bailey Noel, a beach patrol captain. —Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 6 Aug. 2025

Rocky instead took a handful of his father’s sleeping pills. —Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025

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