secondhand
Americanadjective
-
not directly known or experienced; obtained from others or from books.
Most of our knowledge is secondhand.
-
previously used or owned.
secondhand clothes.
-
dealing in previously used goods.
a secondhand bookseller.
adverb
-
after another user or owner.
He bought it secondhand.
-
indirectly; at second hand.
He heard the news secondhand.
Other Word Forms
- secondhandedness noun
Etymology
Origin of secondhand
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.
Yet, most accounts are secondhand, and more problematically, written by either confirmed believers or confirmed skeptics.
From Literature
The market for secondhand luxury goods is approaching a tipping point, but many brands can’t decide which way to jump.
The market for secondhand luxury goods is approaching a tipping point, but many brands can’t decide which way to jump.
I’ve even been able to earn some money selling lightly used clothing and kitchen appliances to local secondhand stores and on online marketplaces.
From MarketWatch
“The hardest part of it is going to a flea market, secondhand stores, an estate sale or even just going behind a store to see what people throw away.”
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.
