handout

[ hand-out ]

noun

1. a portion of food or the like given to a needy person, as a beggar.
2. press release.
3. any printed, typed, mimeographed, or photocopied copy of information, as a speech, policy statement, or fact sheet given to reporters, attendees at a meeting, or the like.
4. anything given away for nothing, as a free sample of a product by an advertiser.

Word History and Origins

Origin of handout¹

First recorded in 1880–85 handout fordef 1 and in 1905–10 handout fordef 2; noun use of verb phrase hand out

Example Sentences

One handout was a sticker for “CNN” where the “C” was replaced with a “hammer and sickle.”

From Salon

Three current and former Albertsons executors were also in on the handout.

From Los Angeles Times

In other words, as I wrote, they voted themselves a multibillion-dollar handout.

From Los Angeles Times

A few years ago, Washington state awarded the Boeing Co. the largest corporate tax break any state had given any corporation — a massive $8.7-billion handout aimed at encouraging the aerospace industry generally, and Boeing specifically, “to maintain and grow its workforce within the state.”

From Los Angeles Times

Trump, he said, “has got a more tax cut orientation. He’s talked about a 15% corporate rate” — down from the current 21% — “and now he’s walking around and offering a handout at every rally on what he’s not going to tax next — tips, Social Security, overtime. It looks to me he’s just trying to match her on middle-class tax cuts.”

From Los Angeles Times