How to Use hand-me-down in a Sentence

hand-me-down

adjective
  • The sound is hand-me-down, but the hope in her voice is brand new.
    Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2024
  • The sweater was a hand-me-down from her mother, and the hat once belonged to her son.
    Daisuke Wakabayashi, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024
  • Don’t be afraid to paint things white—new pieces, heirlooms, hand-me-downs.
    Eleni N. Gage, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Apr. 2023
  • Both my first and middle names were hand-me-downs, the monikers of my parents' good friends.
    April Wallace, arkansasonline.com, 3 Oct. 2024
  • That way, siblings can still look stylish in hand-me-downs that will still feel fresh.
    Hitha Herzog, Parents, 10 July 2023
  • My mom grew up very poor, and her clothes were hand-me-downs or her stepmom made them.
    Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2023
  • Kate Hudson knows the importance of a good hand-me-down.
    Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024
  • A lot of these kids have been playing in hand-me-down shoes, two sizes too small or with no grip left.
    Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2024
  • His voice is as deep as a canyon, tough as tree bark and weathered like a hand-me-down saddle.
    Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 27 Jan. 2024
  • Yes, they were banned years ago, but some are still around, including as hand-me-downs.
    Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Mar. 2024
  • To carry out the revenge, Manta needs to repair his suit (which looks like a hand-me-down from the Ant-Man movies).
    Olivia McCormack, Washington Post, 21 Dec. 2023
  • Another hand-me-down, that thing, with tires that were beyond flat.
    The Indianapolis Star, 19 Mar. 2023
  • Then, to get a new fishing pole and not a hand-me-down one from your grandfather or uncle was a big deal.
    John Carlisle and Visuals By Ryan Garza, Freep.com, 11 June 2023
  • Their team, the Strikers, has a roster of rejects in hand-me-down coats and lacks good equipment, a deep bench and a coach who shows up on time.
    Ellen Piligian, Detroit Free Press, 7 Jan. 2024
  • Or donate old gadgets to someone else on this list, who will be happy to get your hand-me-downs!
    Jennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, 31 Aug. 2023
  • Middle children recall their wardrobe of hand-me-downs.
    Allie Volpe, Vox, 10 June 2024
  • But there’s no Botox at this backyard bar: The hand-me-down hubcaps and rusted bikes are still hanging on the fences, and the best seat is still from an old truck bed.
    Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas News, 13 Mar. 2023
  • Bier’s family had less money than Jonathan’s, and the richer boy would often give him hand-me-downs.
    Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2024
  • This is the tradition that Hsieh decided to mine, a sort of hand-me-down from his father and grandmother.
    Tim Carman, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2023
  • Jenna’s stoop sale inspired a pack of city dwellers eager to get their hands on her hand-me-downs to queue around a SoHo block one Tuesday in June.
    Charlotte Collins, Architectural Digest, 1 Aug. 2024
  • Any dad trying to parent well in 2023 knows that a hand-me-down set of wooden blocks and a rubber ball are going to last kids only so long.
    Paul Kita, Men's Health, 9 May 2023
  • Also, remember there's no reason not to get hand-me-down clothes, says Diaz.
    Madison Medeiros, Parents, 23 Oct. 2023
  • These are Christmas pajamas that will become hand-me-downs.
    Jessica Booth, Parents, 14 Nov. 2023
  • With just a $40 allowance, residents are dressed in ill-fitting hand-me-downs or hospital gowns that drape open.
    Matt Sedensky, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Mar. 2023
  • Nwora's two months with the Pacers are a shining example of just how valuable someone else's hand-me-downs can be.
    Dustin Dopirak, The Indianapolis Star, 9 Apr. 2023
  • The next item on my agenda was addressing my bed frame, which, much like the mattress, was a hand-me-down with broken slats that left my mattress sinking.
    Alexis Jackson, refinery29.com, 26 Apr. 2024
  • The three of them had become close as the mother and daughter frequented the store, with Hughes often giving the two of them hand-me-down clothes from his own children.
    David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 1 May 2024
  • There have been promising leads before: a firefighter recovered one of Mark’s hand-me-down LA Gear sneakers on the beach.
    Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 22 July 2023
  • The fleet of eight hand-me-downs solidly beat the offerings at local shops, which mostly rent only electric bikes, charging $130 a day for e-bike rentals.
    Elaine Glusac, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2023
  • Catherine and Pippa bring two big suitcases of hand-me-down clothes, so Inigo’s cupboards are full of sweet little outfits his cousins–even the girls–have worn.
    Erin Hill, Peoplemag, 17 Sep. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hand-me-down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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