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.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hand-me-down
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
Family hand-me-downs, thrifted items, and keepsakes are what make maximalist spaces one-of-a-kind.
—Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hand-me-down
Noun
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
Family hand-me-downs, thrifted items, and keepsakes are what make maximalist spaces one-of-a-kind.
—Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hand-me-down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-me-down
Adjective
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The final look included Rachel Comey heeled boots, the secondhand Emporio Armani suit, the white dress shirt with French cuffs, silk cufflinks, a silver tie pin, secondhand silver rings, and her grandmother's hand-me-down Peugeot watch.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
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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
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TruMedia has a stat called splash plays, which includes sacks, tackles for loss, pressures leading to a throwaway, run stuffs and batted passes.—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
21 Aug. 2025
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When in doubt, skip the sign-up or use a throwaway email.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
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For years, Hollow Knight fans have been trapped in their own cage, waiting for release, lunging at every scrap of news only to be dashed back down.—
Keller Gordon,
NPR,
8 Sep. 2025
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Using faux chenille, a fabric manipulation technique that creates layered textures, Threadapeutic produces richly tactile works that can take three months to complete, such as Gather and Shore wall hangings made from lace, brocade and tulle scraps.—
Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hand-me-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-me-down. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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