What does handy mean?

Definitions for handy
ˈhæn dihandy

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word handy.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. Handy, W. C. Handy, William Christopher Handyadjective

    United States blues musician who transcribed and published traditional blues music (1873-1958)

  2. handy, ready to hand(p)adjective

    easy to reach

    "found a handy spot for the can opener"

  3. handyadjective

    easy to use

    "a handy gadget"

  4. handyadjective

    skillful with the hands

    "handy with an axe"

Wiktionary

  1. handyadjective

    Easy to use, useful.

    Some people regard duct tape as a handy fix-all.

  2. handyadjective

    Nearby, within reach.

    You wouldn't have a screwdriver handy, would you?

  3. handyadjective

    dexterous, skilful

    She's very handy - she made all her own kitchen cupboards.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Handyadjective

    Etymology: from hand.

    Proudly vaunting, that although they were but few, yet they would easily overthrow the great numbers of them, if ever they came to handy blows. Richard Knolles, Hist. of the Turks.

    Both parties now were drawn so close,
    Almost to come to handy blows. Hudibras, p. i. cant. 3.

    She stript the stalks of all their leaves; the best
    She cull’d, and them with handy care she drest. Dryden.

    The servants wash the platter, scour the plate;
    And each is handy in his way. Dryden.

    The strike-block is a plane shorter than the jointer, and is more handy than the long jointer. Joseph Moxon, Mech. Exer.

ChatGPT

  1. handy

    Handy is an adjective referring to something or someone that is conveniently available and easy to use or handle. It also can describe a person who is skilled and effective with their hands, particularly in doing repairs or other practical tasks.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Handy

    performed by the hand

  2. Handy

    skillful in using the hand; dexterous; ready; adroit

  3. Handy

    ready to the hand; near; also, suited to the use of the hand; convenient; valuable for reference or use; as, my tools are handy; a handy volume

  4. Handy

    easily managed; obedient to the helm; -- said of a vessel

  5. Etymology: [OE. hendi, AS. hendig (in comp.), fr. hand hand; akin to D. handig, Goth. handugs clever, wise.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Handy

    han′di, adj. dexterous: ready to the hand: convenient: near.—adv. Hand′ily.—ns. Handi′ness; Hand′y-man, a man for doing odd jobs.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. HANDY

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Handy is ranked #2482 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Handy surname appeared 14,537 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 would have the surname Handy.

    55.4% or 8,064 total occurrences were White.
    36.3% or 5,289 total occurrences were Black.
    4.1% or 599 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
    2.7% or 401 total occurrences were of two or more races.
    0.7% or 108 total occurrences were Asian.
    0.5% or 78 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.

British National Corpus

  1. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'handy' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3099

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce handy?

How to say handy in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of handy in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of handy in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of handy in a Sentence

  1. Cree Summer:

    I was an only child for 10 years, I didn't start school until 8, and I didn't have a TV for years. So I found all these voices when playing with my toys. They're really my toys' voices. Schizophrenia comes in handy.

  2. Christopher Beaucher:

    My hands were so badly burned and I needed help, so I used Siri to call 911, siri came in very handy.

  3. Mike Rowe:

    The handy gene, as you may have noticed, is recessive. And as certain as I was that I would follow in his footsteps, I just didn't get the skills. So I got into entertainment.

  4. Johann von Goethe:

    When ideas fail, words come in very handy.

  5. Wendy Sherman:

    That skill set came in handy, you have to see all the parts in front of you. You really learn how to understand people.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

handy#1#7345#10000

Translations for handy

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

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"handy." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Oct. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/handy>.

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