handful

noun

hand·​ful ˈhan(d)-ˌfu̇l 

plural handfuls ˈhan(d)-ˌfu̇lz  also handsful ˈhan(d)z-ˌfu̇l 

1

: as much or as many as the hand will grasp

2

: a small quantity or number

a handful of people

3

: as much as one can manage

the kids are quite a handful

Synonyms

• couple
• few
• scatter
• scattering
• smatter
• smattering
• sprinkle
• sprinkling

Examples of handful in a Sentence

The children collected seashells by the handful.

Our dog is a real handful.

Recent Examples on the Web

And unlike Washington’s prior interventions to make peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors, the United States has no leverage at all against Hamas, a terrorist organization that is still holding upward of 100 hostages, including a handful of Americans. —Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024

Photo : Reymond Langton Therapy at Sea Kismet is one of only a handful of yachts to have a cryotherapy chamber on board and possibly the first chromotherapy bathtub. —Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024

Since the start of 118th Congress, Republicans have maintained control of the House by only a handful of seats. —Sarah Beth Hensley, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2024

The issue has overtaken all others as the top concern among voters, both in national polls and among those in the handful of states that are truly competitive battlegrounds. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024

In addition to the aforementioned artists and covers, the credits also reveal that Beyoncé collaborated with Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers, Jon Batiste, Jay-Z, Raphael Saadiq, Hit-Boy, The-Dream, 070 Shake, Swizz Beatz, and Ryan Tedder on a handful of tracks. —Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 5 Apr. 2024

Eclipse and mental health:How to manage stress, anxiety on April 8 solar eclipse A handful of Minecraft and Fortnite streamers and their livestream will appear alongside live eclipse footage brought to you by NASA for an interactive co-stream. —Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Apr. 2024

The town is home to a dollar store, a senior center, and a handful of bars and restaurants. —Sophie Hills, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Apr. 2024

Naver and fellow internet firm Kakao (founded by an ex-Naver executive) have made South Korea one of a handful of countries where homegrown search engines outperform U.S. search giants without government intervention. —Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

handful

noun

hand·​ful ˈhan(d)-ˌfu̇l 

plural handfuls -ˌfu̇lz  also handsful ˈhan(d)z-ˌfu̇l 

1

: as much or as many as the hand will grasp

a handful of jelly beans

2

: a small quantity or number

a handful of people

3

: as much as one can control or manage

the three babies are quite a handful