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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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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The dude can make even a throwaway part seem vital.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
13 Feb. 2026
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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
Noun
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The 24 castaways on season 50 will be split up into three tribes.—
Christopher Kuhagen,
jsonline.com,
18 Feb. 2026
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Blending this formula with some of the best service in French Polynesia, Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora offers all the elements of a magical castaway experience.—
Jennifer Flowers,
AFAR Media,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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For the second version, Fan went dumpster diving and found scraps at furniture stores, motors on eBay and bookends from the dollar store that were the perfect height.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Feb. 2026
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Keep it simple and just use lemon scraps, or create your own scent by adding in rosemary, cloves, or other fragrant ingredients.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hand-me-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-me-down. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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