as in secondhand
owned or used by someone after it had been owned or used by someone else
—used especially of clothing
He was wearing an old, hand-me-down jacket.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hand-me-down
Tom Roland, Billboard, 16 July 2025
Recently, a friend gave me a hand-me-down kit filled with beautiful wooden games and brightly colored books that promises to teach my child to read.
—Jenny Gold, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025
That’s why a baby monitor can be a lifesaver, but not any old hand-me-down model will do.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 24 June 2025
So go check the attic for any old hand-me-down guitars.
—Melonee Hurt, Nashville Tennessean, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hand-me-down
Noun
That’s a sign that the hand-me-down nature of music – where the sound of one generation is incorporated and reinterpreted by the next – is alive and well.
—Tom Roland, Billboard, 16 July 2025
Recently, a friend gave me a hand-me-down kit filled with beautiful wooden games and brightly colored books that promises to teach my child to read.
—Jenny Gold, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025
That’s why a baby monitor can be a lifesaver, but not any old hand-me-down model will do.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 24 June 2025
So go check the attic for any old hand-me-down guitars.
—Melonee Hurt, Nashville Tennessean, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hand-me-down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-me-down
Adjective
-
There has been a boom in the secondhand retail sector.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
-
In my experience, ChatGPT5 is a very efficient seeker, scraper and organizer of secondhand information from the web for at least for my application, financial analysis.—
Shivaram Rajgopal,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
At the same time, the glut of ultra-fast fashion, driven by throwaway culture, is overwhelming waste management capacity.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Instead of chocolate or a throwaway trinket, this calendar delivers 25 days of genuine squeal-worthy surprises.—
Katie Ann Lehman,
StyleCaster,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Fantastic Four is a close second, sure, but Florence Pugh leading a group of depressed villain castaways was the film that really felt like more of a return to form for the MCU.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
30 Aug. 2025
-
The spot is owned by Julie Fairweather, the mother of season 49 contestant Shannon Fairweather, and fan-favorite six-time castaway Boston Rob bartended there before going on the CBS show.—
Sabrina Weiss,
People.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
And 92 million metric tons of textiles—which can range from leftover scraps and cuttings to entire runs of fabric—can end up in warehouses, or worse, landfills or incinerators.—
Jennifer Bringle,
Sourcing Journal,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Construction and demolition projects are also required to separate and recycle all recyclable materials, including concrete, asphalt and scrap metal.—
Elliott Wenzler,
Denver Post,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hand-me-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-me-down. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share