handful

noun

HAND-fuul/ˈhæn(d)fʊl/

Pluralhandfuls, handsful

6 meanings of handful

1
nouncountable
As much of something as one hand can hold at once.
Like as much candy as your closed hand can hold.
She grabbed a handful of nuts from the bowl.
He threw a handful of sand into the air.
Similarfistful
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2
nouncountable
A small number of people or things, often about five.
Like the few things you can count on one hand.
Only a handful of kids showed up to the party.
She read just a handful of pages before falling asleep.
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3
nouncountable
A group or bunch of things gathered together.
He picked a handful of flowers for his mom.
A handful of balloons floated up toward the ceiling.
Similarbunch, bundle
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4
nouncolloquialcountable
A person or thing that is hard to manage or control.
Like trying to carry too many bags at once.
Their new puppy is a real handful.
Those twins are quite a handful at bedtime.
Similarterror, nightmare, challenge
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5
nounslangcountable
A prison sentence of five years.
Like one year for each finger on your hand.
The judge gave him a handful for the robbery.
He got a handful and served every year of it.
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Less common meaning

6
nounobsolete
An old unit of length equal to four inches, about the width of a hand.
Like measuring with the width of your palm instead of a ruler.
The shelf sat a handful below the window ledge.
Knap the tongs together about a handful from the bottom.
1627, Francis [Bacon], Sylua SyluarumHere, handful means about four inches, the width of a hand.
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Practice

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Origin

From Old English handfull, from the words for "hand" and "full".