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
Carson Blackwelder, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 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
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
See All Example Sentences for hand-me-down
Adjective
The hand-me-downs helped Lisa garner attention from a trendy clique at school.
—Carson Blackwelder, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 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
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
See All Example Sentences for hand-me-down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-me-down
Adjective
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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
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As the holidays creep up, some consumers plan to play secondhand Santa.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The joy of setting a beautiful table and the convenience of throwaway dishes are no longer mutually exclusive thanks to Pavilion, a design-forward paper plate company dreamed up by a pair of grad school classmates.—
Lauren Bengtson,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Nov. 2025
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The defense eventually forced the Packers’ offense off the field on fourth down with a throwaway by Love.—
Mike Kaye,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Chartering a speedboat, we were whisked into the bay, a spellbinding expanse of calm, amniotic water dotted with more than 50 tiny islands and pristine beaches that called to mind castaway fantasies.—
David Amsden,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
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Other castaways were Survivor 44 star Maddy Pomilla; Survivor 45 stars Brandon Donlon, Brando Meyer, Julie Alley, Jake O’Kane, Kaleb Gebrewold, Kendra McQuarrie and Emily Flippen; Survivor 47 star Teeny Chirichillo; and Survivor 48 star Stephanie Berger.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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If a vehicle receives no bids and the car owner shows up, the towing company would be required to offer the car back to them at whatever their costs are before selling it for scrap.—
Dave Altimari,
ProPublica,
7 Jan. 2026
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Davis officials noted, however, that local rates reflect a broader range of services, including on-street yard material pickup, 24-hour recycling drop-off centers and early adoption of food-scrap and organics programs.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hand-me-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-me-down. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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