Handful
['hæn(d)fʊl;-f(ə)l] or ['hænd,fʊl]
Definition
(noun.) the quantity that can be held in the hand.
(noun.) a small number or amount; 'only a handful of responses were received'.
Inputed by Cole--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) As much as the hand will grasp or contain.
(n.) A hand's breadth; four inches.
(n.) A small quantity.
Edited by Cecilia
Synonyms and Synonymous
n. Maniple.
Typist: Marcus
Examples
- While there's a handful of fire or a mouthful of bed in this present roof, you're fully welcome to your share on it. Charles Dickens. Little Dorrit.
- The Dutch fleet, frozen in the Texel, surrendered to a handful of cavalry without firing its guns. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- See, my dear Miss Summerson, he took a handful of loose silver and halfpence from his pocket, there's so much money. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- Maurice, leaning forward with a sigh, took a handful of nuts, which he proceeded to crack in a listless fashion. Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- Or, she would casually issue the order, 'Throw in a handful--' of something entirely unattainable. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- Puzzled by the sudden change in her tone, he mechanically gathered a handful of wood from the basket and tossed it on the fire. Edith Wharton. The House of Mirth.
- Catherick came into our garden one night, and woke us by throwing up a handful of gravel from the walk at our window. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- He saw the macaroons, however, and being fond of sweets, possessed himself of a small handful thereof. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- I'll not leave a handful of that dark hair upon your head, if you lay a finger on me! Charles Dickens. A Tale of Two Cities.
- I saw ripe bilberries gleaming here and there, like jet beads in the heath: I gathered a handful and ate them with the bread. Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre.
- Beside the tea-cup on his table he saw, then, a blooming nosegay: a wonderful handful of the choicest and most lovely flowers. Charles Dickens. Little Dorrit.
- On the contrary, we find to-day a handful of trained soldiers equipped with modern firearms putting to flight a horde of ignorant savages. Edward W. Byrn. The Progress of Invention in the Nineteenth Century.
- The dirt is placed carefully over the eggs, a handful at a time, the hind legs being used alternately again for that purpose. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- He came back with a handful of roasted coffee beans. Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell To Arms.
- We are a handful of private citizens of America, traveling simply for recreation, and unostentatiously, as becomes our unofficial state! Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- Miss Keeldar gathered handfuls of the profusely blooming flowers whose perfume filled the enclosure. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- Tom silently as he came near to her, transferred several handfuls of cotton from his own sack to hers. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- With mere handfuls of troops the British leaders, and notably Lawrence and Nicholson, did amazing things. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
Edited by Allison