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
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
One was a hand-me-down from my cousin’s husband who was visiting from Virginia and couldn’t fly back with it.
—Katie Jackson, Outside, 11 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for hand-me-down
Adjective
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
One was a hand-me-down from my cousin’s husband who was visiting from Virginia and couldn’t fly back with it.
—Katie Jackson, Outside, 11 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for hand-me-down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-me-down
Adjective
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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
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And better yet, a quick peruse on secondhand retailers like eBay proves that there are also plenty of fabulous options to uncover.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
16 Dec. 2025
Noun
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To clean candle jars in bulk, preheat an oven to 200°F, place candle jars on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, let the jars warm for 15 minutes, and pour the heated wax into a throwaway cup while wearing oven mitts.—
Lauren Landers,
The Spruce,
31 Jan. 2026
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Many of them are amusing enough to get chuckles and the odd big laugh but a little more wit amongst the throwaway put-downs would have been welcome.—
Richard Kuipers,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Being chosen to participate in such a landmark season is a dream and knowing all the castaways that did not make it here is humbling.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Jan. 2026
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The cafe’s opening in the 305 is pegged to the 50th season of the iconic series, in which a group of castaways in a remote location are forced to fend for themselves while the world watches.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The program director, Kathy, slid me a scrap of paper.—
Nick Dothée,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
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Customers are also digging through the drawers for scrap gold and unwanted or broken jewelry.—
Vanessa Yurkevich,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hand-me-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-me-down. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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