1
: put in use by one person or group after being used, discarded, or handed down by another
hand-me-down clothes
hand-me-down anecdotes
2
: ready-made and usually cheap and shoddy
hand-me-down noun

Examples of hand-me-down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Even as an adult, little brother still gets hand-me-downs. Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel, 25 Feb. 2025 The desks came out of a dumpster and the computers were hand-me-downs, but students showed up. Mike Belleme, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025 My hand-me-down version was not nearly as nice to look at as the Lalo Play Kitchen, which rivals any designer adult kitchen. Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 7 Feb. 2025 While some had just enough time to snag valuables and hard drives, others went straight for childhood belongings and hand-me-downs. Marianne Eloise, Architectural Digest, 31 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hand-me-down

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hand-me-down was in 1826

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hand-me-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand-me-down. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

hand-me-down

adjective
ˈhan(d)-mē-ˌdau̇n
: put in use by one person or group after being used, discarded, or handed down by another
hand-me-down noun

More from Merriam-Webster on hand-me-down

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