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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Recent Examples of hand-me-down
Nneya Richards, Travel + Leisure, 11 Nov. 2025
Fit a Bow A new bow loses about a third of its value after leaving the shop, so a lot of new archers start with a hand-me-down.
—The Editors, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025
The outfit was a hand-me-down from her beloved dog, Sophie, who is no longer with us.
—Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 22 Oct. 2025
The brand has been a favorite among parents for decades because of its durable materials, elevated designs, and major hand-me-down potential.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hand-me-down
Adjective
For instance, our toddler is growing up with more cashmere than most adults, since her hand-me-downs were made by her great-grandmother, Celsa, the founder of Scaglione.
—Nneya Richards, Travel + Leisure, 11 Nov. 2025
Fit a Bow A new bow loses about a third of its value after leaving the shop, so a lot of new archers start with a hand-me-down.
—The Editors, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025
The outfit was a hand-me-down from her beloved dog, Sophie, who is no longer with us.
—Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 22 Oct. 2025
The brand has been a favorite among parents for decades because of its durable materials, elevated designs, and major hand-me-down potential.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hand-me-down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-me-down
Adjective
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Secondhand is secondhand, right?—
Marisa Suzanne Martin,
The Spruce,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Experts chalk up the trend to fewer Birkin buyers at auctions — as aspirational luxury consumers feel pressure from inflation and a slowing labor market — and more secondhand Birkins on the market.—
Josephine Rozzelle,
CNBC,
17 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Some were even arguing that the calculations of a plastic item’s impact should begin with oil and gas extraction, meaning the harm done by a throwaway fork, for example, would include not just its manufacture and disposal but the drilling and petrochemical processing that created the plastic.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
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General catastrophizing Some people are naturally prone to anxiety and overthinking everything—like a work typo, or a throwaway joke that now feels catastrophic.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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An asterisk indicates the castaway was eliminated or medically evacuated and no longer competing.—
Bebe Hodges,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
5 Mar. 2026
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Other castaways include Season 1’s Jenna Lewis-Dougherty, Season 2’s Colby Donaldson, and Cirie Fields, competing for the fifth time.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
And during a scrap for a loose ball, five bodies hit the floor, and when a jump ball was finally called, Burries and Houston forward Kalifa Sakho laid on the court unwilling to let go.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Mar. 2026
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Welcome back to The Athletic’s relegation-battle update, where our data and tactics writers take a weekly look at the key trends behind the scrap for Premier League survival.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hand-me-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-me-down. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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