Word: Handful

Pronunciation

/ˈhændfʊl/

Definitions

• Noun: A small quantity that can be held in one hand; the amount that fills the hand. For example: “She picked up a handful of sand from the beach.”
  • Figurative: A small number of people or things that are difficult to manage or control because they require a lot of effort or attention. For instance: “The toddler was a real handful for his parents.”

Example sentences:

• Noun (quantity): “I bought a handful of grapes from the farmer’s market.”
• Figurative: “The new teacher had quite a handful with this energetic class full of mischievous students.”

Phrases

• “A handful of”: This phrase is often used to indicate a small, unspecified number of something. Example: “There were only a handful of people who attended the lecture.”
• “More than a handful”: Refers to something being too much to handle easily, often in a humorous context when referring to a large breast size or a person who is very challenging to manage. Example: “She complained that her newborn triplets were more than a handful.”

Synonyms

• A few
• Some
• A bit
• A little
• A clutch
• A grip (informal)
• A sprinkling
• A bunch (informal, especially for countable items)

When used in its figurative sense:

• Difficult to manage
• Troublesome
• Challenging
• Demanding
• Unruly
• Wild