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.]

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

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

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

Sample Sentences & Example Usage

1. Ted Cruz:

   A handful of judges rewrote Obamacare.

2. T. S. Eliot:

   I will show you fear in a handful of dust.

3. Author Unknown:

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

4. Dutch Proverb:

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

5. Tom Forte:

   When I think about Yahoo Inc... I think Yelp checks a handful of boxes.

Images & Illustrations of handful