Definitions for handful
ˈhænd fʊlhand·ful

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

1. handful, smatteringnoun

   a small number or amount

   "only a handful of responses were received"

2. handful, fistfulnoun

   the quantity that can be held in the hand

GCIDE(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. handfulnoun

   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. handfulnoun

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

2. handfulnoun

   A hand's breadth; four inches.

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

3. handfulnoun

   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. handfulnoun

   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. Handfulnoun

   as much as the hand will grasp or contain

   Etymology: [AS. handfull.]

2. Handfulnoun

   a hand's breadth; four inches

   Etymology: [AS. handfull.]

3. Handfulnoun

   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.”

Matched Categories

1. • Containerful
   • Small Indefinite Quantity

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

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

How to pronounce handful?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

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. Paul Young:

   The ozone layer problem was simpler than the climate problem. You had a handful of companies who are producing a handful of chemicals for a handful of different uses, and it was relatively straightforward for them to come up with alternatives for that, but this is still a great example of how science, identifying a problem, and the world acting comparatively quickly, acknowledging that problem and coming together to address it, and that is the model that we need to address climate change.

2. Jerry Nadler:

   We've heard from a number of other people who have said they will comply if we give them a subpoena -- they want an excuse, they want a friendly subpoena, so-called, there are a couple of people who have been defiant and said they're not going to comply, but that's only a handful.

3. Jim Bishop:

   True love is night jasmine, a diamond in darkenss, the heartbeat no cardiologist has ever heard. It is the most common of miracles, fashioned of fleecy clouds, a handful of stars tossed into the night sky.

4. Charles R. Swindoll:

   I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let's face it, friends make life a lot more fun.

5. James Lankford:

   There's a handful of people who have been here before, seen impeachment up close and personally. It's not a theory for them. There's only been two of these (previously) in the history of the country and they were in one of them.

Popularity rank by frequency of use