handful
Americannoun
plural
handfuls-
the quantity or amount that the hand can hold.
a handful of coins.
-
a small amount, number, or quantity.
a handful of men.
-
Informal. a person or thing that is as much as one can manage or control.
The baby's tantrums made him a handful.
noun
-
the amount or number that can be held in the hand
-
a small number or quantity
-
informal a person or thing difficult to manage or control
Spelling
See -ful.
Etymology
Origin of handful
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The US Treasury has since eased a seven-year-old oil embargo on Venezuela and issued licenses allowing a handful of multinationals to operate in the country under certain conditions.
From Barron's
So far only a handful of countries have implemented far-reaching regulatory frameworks on AI.
From Barron's
He continued to work steadily over the next two decades, releasing a handful of new records but focusing on concerts.
From Los Angeles Times
And while there are a handful of Scottish seats where the Greens hope to make an impact, they are only expected to stand in about a dozen.
From BBC
All this inanity takes place over the course of a handful of days, during which no one ever seems to change clothes.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
