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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hand-me-down
Kinsey Gidick, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2025
The Fight for Free Tampons in Schools Lands in Court
Image
Mr. Baker got his start in breeding with a gift of hand-me-down plants from two friends, Ken Frieling, a coleus breeder who died last May, and Mr. Frieling’s partner, Tom Winn, who died in 2013.
—Margaret Roach, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2025
As children they were accustomed to wearing hand-me-downs that carried the name of a previous owner.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 24 Mar. 2025
His plucky nickname—born from the ‘Loosey-goosey’ rhyme and shared with his father—is less of a hand-me-down and more of a savvy branding decision.
—Mike Dojc, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hand-me-down
Adjective
Patched pockets and hand-me-downs were a way of stretching the life of a garment.
—Kinsey Gidick, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2025
The Fight for Free Tampons in Schools Lands in Court
Image
Mr. Baker got his start in breeding with a gift of hand-me-down plants from two friends, Ken Frieling, a coleus breeder who died last May, and Mr. Frieling’s partner, Tom Winn, who died in 2013.
—Margaret Roach, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2025
As children they were accustomed to wearing hand-me-downs that carried the name of a previous owner.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 24 Mar. 2025
His plucky nickname—born from the ‘Loosey-goosey’ rhyme and shared with his father—is less of a hand-me-down and more of a savvy branding decision.
—Mike Dojc, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hand-me-down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-me-down
Adjective
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Buyers are more than ever turning to secondhand resale platforms, with 37 percent of shoppers doing so on online platforms such as Whatnot, Depop and The RealReal.—
Kanika Talwar,
Footwear News,
12 June 2025
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Be Mindful Of Space Unlike many common gifts—bottles of wine, gourmet snacks and chocolates, bath products, and the like—secondhand products are generally not consumable and therefore will take up space in your recipient's home.—
Sarah Lyon,
Southern Living,
10 June 2025
Noun
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An archive of throwaways gets new life when presented as a natural history composed of cultural artifacts.—
Christopher Knight,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2025
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The throwaway culture that defined our early ventures into space cannot survive in an environment where waste is a death sentence.—
Rick Tumlinson,
Space.com,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Authorities were able to track down the suspect thanks to fingerprints on the bag covering the woman and a scrap of a tent like ones provided to people without shelter, the newspaper said.—
Colleen Barry,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2025
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Meanwhile, in the UFC Atlanta co-main event, former two-time UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas faces the rising Miranda Maverick in a flyweight scrap.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hand-me-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-me-down. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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