Standard Lemma guide

hand-me-down

adj · noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Used or second-hand, passed along by its prior user.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • 1983, 19th of March, Presidential Radio Address by Ronald Reagan I don't want America's recovery and security to be sacrificed on an altar of discredited hand-me-down theories. And if you'll help us, they won't be.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An item that is passed along for someone else to use.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A piece of clothing or other item which has been outgrown by an older sibling and passed down to a younger one.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: especially

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To pass along to someone else.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: rare

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

passed on from one person to another

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • not too proud to wear hand-me-down clothes

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hand-down

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

outgrown garment passed down from one person to another

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: garment

History

Etymology

See hand down and me.

Across languages

Translations

15 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Māori: oruoru — used or second-hand, passed on by a previous owner
  • Catalan: deixalla — a piece of clothing that is passed along for a younger sibling to use
  • Danish: aflagt stykke tøj — a piece of clothing that is passed along for a younger sibling to use
  • Dutch: afdankertje — a piece of clothing that is passed along for a younger sibling to use
  • Greek: αποφόρι (apofóri) — a piece of clothing that is passed along for a younger sibling to use
  • Hindi: उतरन (utran) — a piece of clothing that is passed along for a younger sibling to use
  • Hungarian: kinőtt ruha — a piece of clothing that is passed along for a younger sibling to use
  • Japanese: お下がり (osagari) — a piece of clothing that is passed along for a younger sibling to use
  • Japanese: お古 (ofuru) — a piece of clothing that is passed along for a younger sibling to use
  • Māori: oruoru — a piece of clothing that is passed along for a younger sibling to use
  • Norwegian Bokmål: brukttøy — a piece of clothing that is passed along for a younger sibling to use
  • Norwegian Bokmål: brukte klær — a piece of clothing that is passed along for a younger sibling to use
  • Russian: поде́ржанная вещь (podéržannaja veščʹ) — a piece of clothing that is passed along for a younger sibling to use
  • Spanish: prenda heredada — a piece of clothing that is passed along for a younger sibling to use
  • Spanish: dejalla — a piece of clothing that is passed along for a younger sibling to use