handful

/'hændful/

Thân thiện

A child picks up a handful of colorful marbles from the floor.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A quantity that can be held in one hand: The amount of something, typically a loose material like sand, coins, or rice, that fits when scooped or grasped in a single hand.
   • A small, indefinite number or amount: Used to describe a number of people or things that is not large, often implying it is less than expected or desired.
   • (Informal) A person or thing that is difficult to manage or control: Refers to someone, often a child, or a situation that is troublesome or challenging to handle.

Examples

• Quantity held in the hand: She scooped up a handful of sand and let it trickle through her fingers.He gave the horse a handful of oats.

• A small number or amount: Only a handful of people attended the meeting on a rainy night.A handful of companies dominate the global market.

• A difficult person or thing: Her toddler is a real handful when he's tired.Managing the merger has been quite a handful for the new CEO.

Advanced Usage

• "a handful of times": on a very few occasions. I've only been there a handful of times in my life.

• "more than a handful": an amount greater than what one can easily manage or control. The project's complexity is more than a handful for a single person.

Variants and Related Words

• Armful (n): an amount that can be held in one's arms.

Synonyms

• Few: a small number of.
• Smattering: a small, scattered amount.
• Troublemaker: a person who causes difficulties (for the "difficult person" sense).

Related Phrases

• A handful of something: This is the standard prepositional phrase used with the primary meanings.

Related Idioms

• A handful: When used alone (often with "be" or "have"), it typically means a difficult person or situation.

Học thuật

Noun

1. the quantity that can be held in the hand
2. a small number or amount
   • only a handful of responses were received

Từ đồng nghĩa

• fistful
• smattering