A Handful Is a Small Amount, Unless It Is a Child
A handful is as much as one hand can hold, and a small number of things. Applied to a person, it means hard work.
A handful is what one hand holds, and by extension a small number: a handful of coins, a handful of survivors. Applied to a person the word flips into a warning. Calling a child a handful means they are exhausting, and the phrase is usually delivered with a tired smile.
- As much as a hand can hold. *A handful of rice.*
- A small number. *Only a handful of people came.*
- A demanding person. *That toddler is a handful.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | handful | A handful of sand. |
| Plural | handfuls | Two handfuls. |
| Related | fistful | A fistful of notes. |
| Related | armful | An armful of wood. |
| Related | mouthful | A mouthful of tea. |
How it is used in a sentence
- A handful of shops stayed open.Small but unspecified number.
- He threw a handful of gravel at the window.The literal measure.
- She was a handful at that age.About a person, always affectionate-critical.
Measures made of body parts
- Handful — what one hand holds
- Fistful — a closed hand, usually of something soft or loose
- Armful — what two arms carry
- Foot — the length unit, originally a foot
- Cubit — elbow to fingertip, an ancient unit
From Old English *handful*, hand plus the ending *-ful*, which builds measures: spoonful, mouthful, cupful. The plural is handfuls, not handsful, although both have been used historically.
Handfuls or handsful?
Handfuls. English pluralises the whole word: spoonfuls, cupfuls, mouthfuls.
How many is a handful?
Deliberately vague. In counting people it usually suggests fewer than about ten.