handful

noun

hand·​ful ˈhan(d)-ˌfu̇l 

plural handfuls ˈhan(d)-ˌfu̇lz  also handsful ˈhan(d)z-ˌfu̇l 

1

: as much or as many as the hand will grasp

2

: a small quantity or number

a handful of people

3

: as much as one can manage

the kids are quite a handful

Synonyms

• few
• couple

Examples of handful in a Sentence

The children collected seashells by the handful.

Our dog is a real handful.

Recent Examples on the Web

House Democrats Democratic attempts to claw back a handful of seats from the Republican supermajority in the November election fell flat, though the minority party managed to hold on to two seats targeted by the House GOP. —Melissa Brown, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025

Norway detected a surge in Russian submarine operations in the early 2010s, Lage said, but no dramatic increase in the last handful of years. —Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025

This summer has been relatively cooler than years past in North Texas, with only a handful of days exceeding 100 degrees. —Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Aug. 2025

The blueprints with them had been seen by only a handful of senior officials inside the British Admiralty who believed this ship represented precisely the type that Britain needed. —Doug Most august 20, Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for handful

• brimful
• mouthful
• roomful
• spoonful
• full
• pull
• wool

Kids Definition

handful

noun

hand·​ful ˈhan(d)-ˌfu̇l 

plural handfuls -ˌfu̇lz  also handsful ˈhan(d)z-ˌfu̇l 

1

: as much or as many as the hand will grasp

a handful of jelly beans

2

: a small quantity or number

a handful of people

3

: as much as one can control or manage

the three babies are quite a handful