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
Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Her friend is pregnant with her second child, and had planned to dress the baby in hand-me-downs from her first baby.
—Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Hunter had known his biological father his whole life as a family friend; sometimes this man dropped off hand-me-downs that his sons—Hunter’s half brothers—had outgrown.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for hand-me-down
Noun
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
Her friend is pregnant with her second child, and had planned to dress the baby in hand-me-downs from her first baby.
—Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Hunter had known his biological father his whole life as a family friend; sometimes this man dropped off hand-me-downs that his sons—Hunter’s half brothers—had outgrown.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for hand-me-down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-me-down
Adjective
-
Next wave of luxury consumers Affordability is the top reason for buying secondhand luxury items, cited by 80% of respondents, according to BCG’s report.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
18 Oct. 2025
-
As the holidays creep up, some consumers plan to play secondhand Santa.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Rogue One sprung up from a throwaway line in the opening Star Wars crawl and eventually led to Andor, one of the finest series ever made.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
22 Oct. 2025
-
That's an expert throwaway from Bo Nix against the Jets blitz.—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The 14 remaining castaways morphed into two tribes of seven, with the original Hina holding a majority alliance in one tribe, while the original Uli held a majority in the other.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
16 Oct. 2025
-
In 48 seasons, not a single Survivor castaway has been removed from the game as a result of an animal attack.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Use 4-inch round cookie cutters to cut out, rerolling scraps as needed.—
Jenavieve Christensen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Though not as violent as the Lions-Chiefs scuffle, the Buffalo Bills and Carolina Panthers had a postgame scrap of their own on Sunday after Buffalo’s dominant 40-9 Week 8 victory.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hand-me-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-me-down. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share