armful

[ ahrm-fool ]

noun

, plural arm·fuls.

1. as much as a person can hold or carry in an arm or both arms.
2. Informal. a girl or woman with a well-rounded figure.
3. Informal. an obstreperous child; handful.

armful

/ ˈɑːmfʊl /

noun

1. the amount that can be held by one or both arms

Spelling Note

See -ful.

Word History and Origins

Origin of armful¹

First recorded in 1570–80; arm ¹ + -ful

Example Sentences

I started running with my armful of sticks and leaves.

From Literature

Big hauls of nominations don’t necessarily mean armfuls of trophies though.

From BBC

Double bonus points if you have an armful of the things.

From BBC

But he got sober, and in the years since, he got married, found a job as a creative writing professor at the University of Iowa and wrote poetry that won him an armful of awards.

From New York Times

She darted to the nearest staircase, passing more wizened librarians toting armfuls of books, automats leading sullen trainees with detention slips, and people browsing.

From Literature