Definitions for handful
ˈhænd fʊlhand·ful

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. handful, smattering(noun)

   a small number or amount

   "only a handful of responses were received"

2. handful, fistful(noun)

   the quantity that can be held in the hand

GCIDE(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. handful(n.)

   A person, task, or situation, which is the most that one can manage; as, my two-year-old is a handful.

Origin: [AS. handfull.]

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. handful(Noun)

   As much as the hand will grasp or contain. - Joseph Addison

2. handful(Noun)

   A hand's breadth; four inches.

   Knap the tongs together about a handful from the bottom. - Francis Bacon

3. handful(Noun)

   A small quantity, usually approximately equal to five, the number of fingers on a hand.

   This handful of men were tied to very hard duty. - Fuller

4. handful(Noun)

   Something which can only be managed with difficulty.

   Those twins are a real handful to look after.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Handful(noun)

   as much as the hand will grasp or contain

2. Handful(noun)

   a hand's breadth; four inches

3. Handful(noun)

   a small quantity

Origin: [AS. handfull.]

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. handful

   Used figuratively, in a military sense, to denote a comparatively small number; as, “a handful of men.”

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'handful' in Nouns Frequency: #2326

How to pronounce handful?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say handful in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of handful in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of handful in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of handful in a Sentence

1. Ted Cruz:

   A handful of judges rewrote Obamacare.

2. T. S. Eliot:

   I will show you fear in a handful of dust.

3. Charles Bierbauer:

   Certainly McMaster needs to gain a handful of points.

4. Author Unknown:

   A handful of common sense is worth a bushel of learning.

5. Dutch Proverb:

   A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains.

Images & Illustrations of handful

Popularity rank by frequency of use