Standard Lemma guide

secondhand

adj · adv · 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.

  • /ˌsɛk(ə)n(d)ˈhænd/
  • /ˈsɛk(ə)n(d)ˌhænd/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ænd
  • CMU ARPABET: S EH1 K AH0 N D HH AE2 N D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Not new; previously owned and used by another.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: used, preloved, pre-owned, hand-me-down

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Dealing in such merchandise.

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

adj

Meaning 3

Indirect; from a secondary source; not firsthand.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Inhaled from the air near someone else smoking.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • exposure to secondhand smoke from cigarette-smoking colleagues

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adv

Meaning 5

In a used or previously-owned condition.

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

6

adv

Meaning 6

Indirectly.

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

7

noun

Meaning 7

Secondhand goods (especially clothes) collectively.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

previously used or owned by another

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • bought a secondhand (or used) car

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: used

Antonyms: none provided

9

adjective satellite

Meaning 9

derived from what is primary or original; not firsthand

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a secondhand report
  • a secondhand account of a memory of something once read
  • most of our knowledge is secondhand

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

adverb

Meaning 10

by indirect means

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • I heard about it only secondhand or thirdhand
  • he prefers to buy secondhand

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From second + hand.

Across languages

Translations

95 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مُسْتَعْمَل (mustaʕmal) — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Basque: bigarren eskuko — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Catalan: segona mà — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Chinese Mandarin: 第二手 (dì'èrshǒu) — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Chinese Mandarin: 中古 (zhōnggǔ) — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Dutch: tweedehands — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Dutch: occasion — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Dutch: occasie — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Esperanto: brokanta — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Finnish: käytetty — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • French: seconde main — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • French: occasion — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • French: de seconde main — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • West-Frisian: twaddehâns — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Georgian: ნახმარი (naxmari) — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Georgian: მეორადი მოხმარების (meoradi moxmarebis) — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Georgian: ნაქონი (nakoni) — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • German: gebraucht — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • German: aus zweiter Hand — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • German: secondhand — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • German: Secondhand- — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Greek: μεταχειρισμένος (metacheirisménos) — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Hungarian: használt — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Hungarian: antikvár — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Icelandic: notaður — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Indonesian: bekas — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Italian: di seconda mano — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Japanese: 中古 (chūko) — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Japanese: セコハン (sekohan) — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Japanese: セカンドハンド (sekandohando) — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Korean: 중고 (junggo) — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Ladin: de sgonda man — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Latin: redivīvus — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Lithuanian: naudotas — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Lithuanian: vartotas — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Macedonian: по́ловен (póloven) — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Manx: aalaue — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Māori: nguture — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Māori: oruoru — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Mongolian: хуучин (xuučin) — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Mongolian: эдэлж хэрэглэж байсан (edelž xereglež bajsan) — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Norman: dé s'gonde main — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Norwegian Bokmål: brukt — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Norwegian Bokmål: brukt- — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: brukt — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: brukt- — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Persian: دست دوم (dast dovvom) — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Plautdietsch: tweedahaunt — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Polish: używany — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Polish: z drugiej ręki — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Portuguese: de segunda mão — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Romanian: la mâna a doua — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Romanian: second-hand — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Russian: поде́ржанный (podéržannyj) — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Russian: б (b/u) — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Russian: у (b/u) — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Scots: seicont-haundit — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Scottish Gaelic: ath-ghnàthach — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Spanish: de segunda mano — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Spanish: segunda mano — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Swahili: mtumba — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Swedish: begagnad — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Thai: มือสอง (mʉʉ-sɔ̌ɔng) — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Turkish: ikinci el — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Turkish: kullanılmış — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Turkish: elden düşme — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Ottoman Turkish: اسكی (eski) — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Welsh: ail-law — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Yoruba: àlòkù — not new; previously owned and used by another
  • Finnish: käytetyn tavaran — dealing in such merchandise
  • German: Gebraucht- — dealing in such merchandise
  • Hungarian: használt- — dealing in such merchandise
  • Manx: aalaue — dealing in such merchandise
  • Norwegian Bokmål: brukt- — dealing in such merchandise
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: brukt- — dealing in such merchandise
  • Finnish: passiivinen — indirect, passive
  • German: passiv — indirect, passive
  • German: Passiv- — indirect, passive
  • German: mittelbar — indirect, passive
  • German: indirekt — indirect, passive
  • Hungarian: közvetett — indirect, passive
  • Hungarian: másodlagos — indirect, passive
  • Hungarian: passzív — indirect, passive
  • Norwegian Bokmål: annenhånds — indirect, passive
  • Norwegian Bokmål: indirekte — indirect, passive
  • Norwegian Bokmål: passiv — indirect, passive
  • Norwegian Bokmål: middelbar — indirect, passive
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: indirekte — indirect, passive
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: passiv — indirect, passive
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: annanhands — indirect, passive
  • Thai: มือสอง (mʉʉ-sɔ̌ɔng) — indirect, passive
  • Finnish: epäsuorasti — indirectly
  • Finnish: välikäden kautta — indirectly
  • Hungarian: használtan — indirectly
  • Hungarian: másodkézből — indirectly