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

• couple
• few
• scatter
• scattering
• smatter
• smattering
• sprinkle
• sprinkling

Examples of handful in a Sentence

The children collected seashells by the handful.

Our dog is a real handful.

Recent Examples on the Web

In April, Bloomberg reported that Thompson was among a handful of senior executives at the company that sold over $100 million in stock before a federal antitrust investigation into UnitedHealth was made public. —Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024

Hegseth and Patel are among a handful of Trump nominees whose appointments could still run into trouble in the Senate, even with Republicans in charge. —Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY, 4 Dec. 2024

Elsewhere, the 2025 list features a handful of storied names, including 2021 World Building of the Year winners Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). —Leah Dolan, CNN, 4 Dec. 2024

Their future is uncertain, reliant upon the decision-making of a handful of large-emitting States which, as my colleagues explained, are responsible for climate change. —Jon McGowan, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

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

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