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handout

 - 4 dictionary results

hand⋅out

  [hand-out]
Use handout in a Sentence
–noun Informal.
1. a portion of food or the like given to a needy person, as a beggar.
2. press release.
3. any printed, typed, mimeographed, or photocopied copy of information, as a speech, policy statement, or fact sheet given to reporters, attendees at a meeting, or the like.
4. anything given away for nothing, as a free sample of a product by an advertiser.
Origin:
1825–35; 1940–45 for def. 2; n. use of v. phrase hand out
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To handout
hand·out   (hānd'out')   
n.  

  1. Food, clothing, or money given to the needy.

  2. A folder or leaflet circulated free of charge.

  3. A sheet or sheets of paper containing topical information, distributed to people attending a speech, lecture, or meeting.

  4. A prepared news or publicity release.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
handout

  1. n.
    a gift of money, food, or other goods to a needy person. (Often in the negative, as in the examples.) : Give him a handout and send him on his way.
  2. n.
    an informational sheet of paper “handed out” to people. : As you can see on your handout, 40 percent of those who started never finished.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

handout 
"alms or food given to a beggar," 1882, hobo slang, from hand (v.) + out.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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