Standard Lemma guide

handout

adj · noun · 10 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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈhændaʊt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈhændˌaʊt/
  • CMU ARPABET: HH AE1 N D AW2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of a thing: given out free of charge, usually by hand.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of or pertaining to the giving of handouts (gifts of money or material assistance, printed sheets, etc.).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An act of handing out something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

An act of handing out something.

An act of dealing playing cards; a deal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, archaic, rare

Topics: card-games, games

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A printed sheet such as a leaflet or pamphlet, or a worksheet, that is given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use, for example as an advertisement or for information.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A printed sheet such as a leaflet or pamphlet, or a worksheet, that is given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use, for example as an advertisement or for information.

Synonym of press release (“an official written statement that is sent to the media so that it can be publicized”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: press release

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory, informal, often

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bonsella

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

A gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor.

Something obtained without effort; a gift, a present.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, derogatory, informal, often

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bonsella, benefaction, boon, concession, donative, fairing, gift, grant, present, tithing

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

giving money or food or clothing to a needy person

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: charity

10

noun

Meaning 10

an announcement distributed to members of the press in order to supplement or replace an oral presentation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: press release, release

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: announcement, promulgation

History

Etymology

Deverbal from hand out.

Across languages

Translations

77 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: ilmaiseksi jaettu — of a thing: given out free of charge, usually by hand
  • Finnish: ilmaiseksi jakamiseen liittyvä — of or pertaining to the giving of handouts
  • Finnish: ojentaminen — act of handing out something
  • Finnish: jakaminen — act of handing out something
  • Finnish: jako — act of handing out something
  • Arabic: كُرَّاسَة (kurrāsa) — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Arabic: نَشْرَة (našra) — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Bulgarian: брошу́ра (brošúra) — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Bulgarian: дипля́на (dipljána) — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Dutch: handout — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Dutch: hand-out — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Finnish: esitelmämoniste — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Finnish: käsimoniste — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Finnish: lappu — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Finnish: luentomoniste — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Finnish: mainoslehtinen — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Finnish: moniste — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Finnish: opetusmoniste — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Finnish: paperi — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Finnish: tiedote — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Finnish: tuloste — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • French: polycopié — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Galician: ficha — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • German: Handout — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • German: Flugblatt — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • German: Handreichung — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • German: Zettel — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Hindi: विज्ञप्ति (vijñapti) — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Irish: bileog — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Irish: bileog eolais — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Irish: bileog faisnéise — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Irish: bileoigín — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Irish: dáileán — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Irish: duille — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Irish: glacán bileog — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Italian: scartoffia — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Italian: volantino — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Japanese: ビラ — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Japanese: びら (bira) — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Japanese: チラシ (chirashi) — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Japanese: プリント (purinto) — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Māori: tohanga — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Persian: جزوه — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Portuguese: ficha — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Russian: хэнда́ут (xɛndáut) — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Russian: памфле́т (pamflét) — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Russian: разда́точный материа́л (razdátočnyj materiál) — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Serbo-Croatian: информативни матерѝја̄л — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Serbo-Croatian: ле̏так — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Serbo-Croatian: informativni materìjāl — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Serbo-Croatian: lȅtak — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Spanish: apunte — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Spanish: folleto — printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
  • Armenian: ողորմություն (oġormutʻyun) — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • Old Armenian: ողորմութիւն (ołormutʻiwn) — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • Bashkir: саҙаҡа (saźaqa) — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • Bashkir: хәйер (xəyer) — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • Bulgarian: милости́ня (milostínja) — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • Finnish: almu — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • Finnish: armopala — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • French: aumône — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • Galician: dádiva — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • German: Almosen — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • Ilocano: duol — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • Irish: síneadh láimhe — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • Italian: donazione — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • Italian: regalia — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • Japanese: 施し物 (hodokoshimono) — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • Malayalam: ഔദാര്യം (audāryaṁ) — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • Polish: datek — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • Polish: wspomożenie — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • Polish: zapomoga — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • Russian: ми́лостыня (mílostynja) — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • Russian: подая́ние (podajánije) — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • Spanish: donativo — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • Spanish: limosna — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
  • Ukrainian: да́ток (dátok) — gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie