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
Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 12 Jan. 2026
Without their belongings, the family is relying on neighbors and relatives this season, borrowing Christmas trees, hand-me-down dishes, and even pie plates.
—Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for hand-me-down
Adjective
Rounding out the spot are a hand-me-down coffee table finished to look like malachite, a rug by From Jaipur With Love, and an abstract painting by Jen Garrido that the couple picked up on a trip to Austin, Texas.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 12 Jan. 2026
Without their belongings, the family is relying on neighbors and relatives this season, borrowing Christmas trees, hand-me-down dishes, and even pie plates.
—Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for hand-me-down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-me-down
Adjective
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Pillows Bed pillows and throw pillows alike are better purchased new than secondhand.—
Nina Derwin,
Martha Stewart,
11 Apr. 2026
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For Barton, that moment became both a style foundation and a lesson in how secondhand clothing could create individuality in a way mass retail often could not.—
J.M. Banks
March 16,
Kansas City Star,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Everything is under $25, but these aren’t just throwaway buys.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
9 May 2026
-
There’s much ado about belts, a cerulean soliloquy, and a throwaway line about an eyelash curler that, frankly, should have landed better.—
Faran Krentcil,
Allure,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
One guy simply voted for his fellow castaways in alphabetical order.—
Julie Beck,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
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With Piggy as the ideas man, thinking through issues like sanitation and proposing a signal fire to aid rescue efforts, Ralph uses his constituents’ goodwill to implement an ad-hoc social democracy that cares for even the youngest and weakest castaways.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
4 May 2026
Noun
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The recycling center would take household materials like electronics, textiles, shoes, food scraps, mixed paper, cardboard, plastics, metal cans, and glass.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2026
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But Alberto goes anyway, and his inheritance (in all possible meanings of the word) is contained in a brown envelope, some scraps of paper that take on an awful amount of significance over the next two hours.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hand-me-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-me-down. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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