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
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
Through it all—the fights, the coupon cutting, the hand-me-downs, the breakdowns—with love, humor and perseverance, the family prevails.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hand-me-down
Adjective
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
Through it all—the fights, the coupon cutting, the hand-me-downs, the breakdowns—with love, humor and perseverance, the family prevails.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hand-me-down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-me-down
Adjective
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Like anything, the secondhand market experiences trends, and some items likely won’t interest any buyers, no matter how pretty your photos.—
Cori Sears,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 Apr. 2025
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Speaking of affordability, tell us about IKEA’s approach to the secondhand market.—
Natalie Stoclet,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Rose’s way with a throwaway line, and Jackson’s delightful bubbliness are too often undercut by pictorial vagueness and weird-pause pacing that leave you wondering what’s happening and whether the next thing will ever arrive.—
Jesse Green,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
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On the one hand, Two Spears might be making a throwaway comment.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
6 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The two then fought to a split draw in a September 2023 scrap.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
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Organizers have held quilt-ins in 30 states, evoking the image of repurposing scraps of otherwise unwanted fabric into something worth more than the sum of its parts.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
7 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hand-me-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-me-down. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
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