secondhand

[ sek-uhnd-hand ]
See synonyms for secondhand on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. not directly known or experienced; obtained from others or from books: Most of our knowledge is secondhand.

  2. previously used or owned: secondhand clothes.

  1. dealing in previously used goods: a secondhand bookseller.

adverb
  1. after another user or owner: He bought it secondhand.

  2. indirectly; at second hand: He heard the news secondhand.

Origin of secondhand

1
First recorded in 1645–55; second1 + hand

Other words from secondhand

  • sec·ond·hand·ed·ness, noun

Words Nearby secondhand

Other definitions for second hand (2 of 2)

second hand
[ sek-uhnd hand for 1; sek-uhnd hand for 2, 3 ]

noun
  1. the hand that indicates the seconds on a clock or watch.

  2. an assistant or helper, as to a worker or foreman.

Origin of second hand

2
1425–75 for def. 3; 1750–60 for def. 1; late Middle English

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use secondhand in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for second hand (1 of 2)

second hand

noun
  1. a pointer on the face of a timepiece that indicates the seconds: Compare hour hand, minute hand

British Dictionary definitions for second-hand (2 of 2)

second-hand

adjective
  1. previously owned or used

  2. not from an original source or experience

  1. dealing in or selling goods that are not new: a second-hand car dealer

adverb
  1. from a source of previously owned or used goods: he prefers to buy second-hand

  2. not directly: he got the news second-hand

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with secondhand

secondhand

see at second hand.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.