handful

American  

[hand-fool] / ˈhænd fʊl /

noun

plural

handfuls

1. the quantity or amount that the hand can hold.

   a handful of coins.

2. a small amount, number, or quantity.

   a handful of men.

3. Informal. a person or thing that is as much as one can manage or control.

   The baby's tantrums made him a handful.

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handful British  

/ ˈhændfʊl /

noun

1. the amount or number that can be held in the hand

2. a small number or quantity

3. informal a person or thing difficult to manage or control

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Spelling

See -ful.

Etymology

Origin of handful

before 900; Middle English, Old English. See hand, -ful

Example Sentences

For years, some on Wall Street — including Rob Arnott, chair of Research Affiliates — have warned that the S&P 500 has become heavily weighted toward a handful of corporate behemoths with high valuations.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

Finish with lime juice, fish sauce or soy sauce, and a handful of herbs.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

Up 8%, down 5%, down 4%, up 6%—these are just a handful of the single-day herk-a-jerks since the beginning of February for shares of America’s largest company, Nvidia.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Appearing in Thologolong and its surrounds recently, however, were a handful of road signs graffitied with Freeman's name – something Janice Newnham told the BBC she'd thought was "somebody's April Fool's Day joke".

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

In and of itself it was a remarkable fact: The catastrophe was foreseeable, yet only a handful noticed.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis