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.

   Etymology: [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

   Etymology: [AS. handfull.]

2. Handful(noun)

   a hand's breadth; four inches

   Etymology: [AS. handfull.]

3. Handful(noun)

   a small quantity

   Etymology: [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. The President:

   For now, a handful of ICE officers and staff are taking this mayor and city on all by ourselves, we’ll fight alone for the rule of law and safety of our employees nationwide if that’s what it takes, but someone on our side would be a welcome change moving forward.

2. Author Unknown:

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

3. Ted Cruz:

   It is an example of the Washington cartel, it's making politicians fat and happy, but it's picking a handful of favorite corporate winners and making the American people, the taxpayers and the consumers, the losers.

4. Zhou Xiaochuan:

   As for how it will be similar to global funds, it is somewhat like the World Bank's IFC( International Finance Corp), the African Development Bank's mutual development fund and the China Africa Development Fund, what is different is that those funds are financed by a handful of investors instead of raising funds from the public.

5. Karen Crawford:

   I have never seen anything like it before. The squirrel had its paw raised and the bird had its beak wide open, it was like they were going to have a fight. Karen Crawford, 59, captured the face-off as the pair appeared to be having a row over a handful of nuts on a tree trunk. In the shot, the red squirrel is perched vertically on a tree stump with its paw in the air, as the bird sits on the other side with its beak wide open. (Credit: SWNS) Perhaps even more remarkable, Crawford admitted she did not even realize she took the photos until she got home. I thought wow when I got home and saw the picture and the reaction I have had to it has been really strong.

Images & Illustrations of handful

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