as in secondhand
owned or used by someone after it had been owned or used by someone else
—used especially of clothing
He was wearing an old, hand-me-down jacket.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hand-me-down
Carson Blackwelder, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
One was a hand-me-down from my cousin’s husband who was visiting from Virginia and couldn’t fly back with it.
—Katie Jackson, Outside, 11 Sep. 2025
The final look included Rachel Comey heeled boots, the secondhand Emporio Armani suit, the white dress shirt with French cuffs, silk cufflinks, a silver tie pin, secondhand silver rings, and her grandmother's hand-me-down Peugeot watch.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Hunter had known his biological father his whole life as a family friend; sometimes this man dropped off hand-me-downs that his sons—Hunter’s half brothers—had outgrown.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hand-me-down
Adjective
The hand-me-downs helped Lisa garner attention from a trendy clique at school.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-me-down
Adjective
-
Experts chalk up the trend to fewer Birkin buyers at auctions — as aspirational luxury consumers feel pressure from inflation and a slowing labor market — and more secondhand Birkins on the market.—
-
And better yet, a quick peruse on secondhand retailers like eBay proves that there are also plenty of fabulous options to uncover.—
Noun
-
Gardeners, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, are rebelling against throwaway culture by ditching disposable gardening.—
-
This philosophy stands as a counterweight to the throwaway consumer culture that has dominated electronics and appliances for decades.—
Noun
-
The show, which ran for three seasons from 1964 to 1967, centered around seven castaways who have to survive after getting shipwrecked on an uncharted island.—
-
Both she and her ally, Velovic, were named as the final two castaways among the returning 24 stars.—
Noun
-
If a vehicle receives no bids and the car owner shows up, the towing company would be required to offer the car back to them at whatever their costs are before selling it for scrap.—
-
Davis officials noted, however, that local rates reflect a broader range of services, including on-street yard material pickup, 24-hour recycling drop-off centers and early adoption of food-scrap and organics programs.—
Cite this Entry
“Hand-me-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-me-down. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share