panhandle

noun

pan·han·dle | \ ˈpan-ˌhan-dᵊl

Definition of panhandle

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a narrow projection of a larger territory (such as a state) the Oklahoma Panhandle

panhandle

verb

panhandled; panhandling\ ˈpan-ˌhan(d)-liŋ

, -ˌhan-dᵊl-iŋ \

Definition of panhandle (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to stop people on the street and ask for food or money : beg

transitive verb

1 : to accost on the street and beg from

2 : to get by panhandling

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Examples of panhandle in a Sentence

Noun

The Texas Panhandle is the northernmost part of the state.

Verb

He panhandled for his bus fare. There is a law against panhandling in the subway.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Rainfall totals of between 5 and 10 inches, with up to 15 inches, are possible from eastern Louisiana to Mississippi, Alabama, western Tennessee and the western Florida panhandle, the NWS said. — Anchorage Daily News, "Storm Alberto closes in on Florida, Alabama and Mississippi," 27 May 2018 Conditions are even worse in the Four Corners region and the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles. The drought has contributed to numerous wildfires. — Fox News, "After brief relief, forecasts indicate drought will continue," 23 Apr. 2018 The story is rooted in the roads, roadside motels, small towns, and landscapes of the Texas panhandle and far West. — Eve Macsweeney, Vogue, "In Randy Kennedy’s Presidio, a Startling Road Trip Thriller Full of Twists and Turns," 17 Aug. 2018 In the summer and winter in Idaho’s panhandle, lumberjacks floated logs in the river. — Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, "The Lost Art of Floating Logs Down the River," 16 Feb. 2019 Heavy rains are also expected in many areas, with some locations seeing between up to a foot of rain across the Florida panhandle into Alabama. — Travis Fedschun, Fox News, "Alberto maintains strength as it approaches Gulf Coast, landfall expected on Florida panhandle," 28 May 2018 Flash flood watches stretched from the Florida panhandle, through parts of southwest Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa and Illinois. — Samuel Chamberlain, Fox News, "Hurricane Florence upgraded to Category 4 storm as Gordon moves inland," 6 Sep. 2018 The National Hurricane Center projected 4 to 8 inches of rain with isolated amounts up to a foot into the panhandle and much of Alabama and western Georgia. — Dino Grandoni, Washington Post, "The Energy 202: Arnold Schwarzenegger calls Scott Pruitt 'worst environmental secretary that we have ever had'," 29 May 2018 Although Hurricane Michael's worst days are over, its death toll has risen to 11 as several smaller towns on Florida's panhandle lie in near-total devastation. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Hurricane Michael Death Toll Rises to 11, Infrastructure in Crisis Throughout Southeast," 11 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The specialists approached a man on West End Avenue and 79th Street, who was rolling up his sleeping bag before panhandling. — Leslie Brody, WSJ, "In the Heat, New York City Tries to Move the Homeless Off the Streets," 7 Aug. 2018 That fact-finding will help everyone better understand what issues like panhandling are tied, and how greatly, to PADS Lake County, Cunningham said. — Emily K. Coleman, Lake County News-Sun, "Waukegan partners with Lake County Coalition for Homeless in wake of PADS Lake County complaints," 10 June 2018 Police are searching for a group of robbers who lure in South Loop victims with a man panhandling from a wheelchair. — Paige Fry, chicagotribune.com, "Man in wheelchair lured South Loop robbery victims," 9 July 2018 In July 2017, following a series of court rulings that found anti-panhandling laws elsewhere in the nation to be unconstitutional, Orlando overturned its 2000 ordinance that limited solicitation to a series of boxes outlined in blue paint. — Kate Santich, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Downtown Orlando panhandling soaring, leaders say," 9 July 2018 One Tulsa teacher last year resorted to panhandling to pay for school supplies. — Moriah Balingit, Washington Post, "Teachers shelling out nearly $500 a year on school supplies, report finds," 15 May 2018 Porter said the town has a few options to limit panhandling: allowing panhandling only during certain hours; banning agressive panhandling; deeming specific roads unsafe for panhandling; or banning it in public locations like bus stops or parks. — Peter Marteka, Courant Community, "Glastonbury Looking At Ways To Deter Panhandling," 24 May 2018 But efforts to deal with the region’s homeless population have included ordinances aimed at limiting where homeless people may panhandle or live. — Sam Stanton And Ryan Lillis, sacbee, "Sacramento hit with federal lawsuit seeking to overturn city’s panhandling ordinance | The Sacramento Bee," 12 Apr. 2018 Police had already ticketed the woman several times already this year for panhandling, police said. — Jane Ford-stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "West Allis woman arrested for darting in front of cars on Lincoln Avenue to beg drivers for money," 15 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'panhandle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.