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.
Origin of handful
before 900; Middle English, Old English. See hand, -ful
usage note for handful
See -ful.
Words nearby handful
Handel, George Frederick, handfast, handfasting, hand-feed, hand, foot, and mouth disease, handful, hand glass, hand grenade, handgrip, handgun, handheld
Still, a handful of venues and companies plan to reopen sooner.
D.C. theater scene adapts with films, concerts, and more|Patrick Folliard|September 17, 2020|Washington Blade
Only a handful still sees virtual weddings as a viable option.
Covid-19 has changed the way Indians think about weddings|Manavi Kapur|September 17, 2020|Quartz
Only a handful of closely related species now have it, they learned.
Stinky success: Scientists identify the chemistry of B.O.|Alison Pearce Stevens|September 15, 2020|Science News For Students
Unfortunately, as it stands today, the entire field of AI ethics is at grave risk of limiting itself to languages, ideas, theories, and challenges from a handful of regions—primarily North America, Western Europe, and East Asia.
AI ethics groups are repeating one of society’s classic mistakes|Amy Nordrum|September 14, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Colbert is trapped in the same building with the same small handful of people every day, and the challenge is to keep making them laugh.
One Good Thing: Stephen Colbert is looser, funnier, and angrier in quarantine|Emily VanDerWerff|September 4, 2020|Vox
Weiss is likely to get confirmed even as Warren and a handful of other progressive Democrats vote no.
Sen. Warren’s Main Street Crusade to Pressure Clinton|Eleanor Clift|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Rather than downing a handful of pills, I planned to take my life by opening a vein in each wrist.
Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen|Parker Molloy|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Knight lived down the street from Scalise, and had met him a handful of times at Republican Party events.
GOP Boss Gets Help From ‘White Hate’ Pal|Tim Mak|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With only a handful of great directors between the two videos, Fourgrounds can keep this going for years.
Merry Christmas from the World’s Best Directors|Alex Chancey, The Daily Beast Video|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Still, a handful of centuries-old establishments have survived and housed some pretty phenomenal history.
Inside The World’s 10 Oldest Restaurants|Justin Jones|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All our historians agree that one Clodowick, a Sicambrian, subjugated Gaul with a handful of barbarians.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 2 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
Michael dashed into the group and grabbed a handful of caps which he tossed into the dusty complications of the Laocon.
Sinister Street, vol. 1|Compton Mackenzie
Clean it well, take out the brains, rub it with a handful of salt, and two ounces of saltpetre.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,|Mary Eaton
Even when most of them had accepted his leadership and were obeying his orders, a handful of desperate men refused to go.
Famous Sea Fights|John Richard Hale
Stretch out and gather a handful of an herb that will bring him back from whatever place he is in.
The Unicorn from the Stars and Other Plays|William B. Yeats
British Dictionary definitions for handful
handful
/ (ˈhændfʊl) /
nounplural-fuls
the amount or number that can be held in the hand
a small number or quantity
informala person or thing difficult to manage or control