secondhand
adjective
sec·ond·hand
| \ ˈse-kən(d)-ˈhand
\
\
Definition of secondhand
(Entry 1 of 4)
1a
: received from or through an intermediary : borrowed
b
: derivative
secondhand ideas
2a
: acquired after being used by another : not new
secondhand books
b
: dealing in secondhand merchandise
a secondhand bookstore
secondhand
adverbDefinition of secondhand (Entry 2 of 4)
1
: at second hand : indirectly
heard about it secondhand
2
: as a secondhand item
bought the couch secondhand
second hand
noun (1)
\ ˌse-kən(d)-ˈhand
\
\
Definition of second hand (Entry 3 of 4)
: an intermediate person or means : intermediary
—usually used in the phrase at second hand
second hand
noun (2)
\ ˈsek-ən(d)-ˌhand
\
\
Definition of second hand (Entry 4 of 4)
: the hand marking seconds on a timepiece
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Synonyms & Antonyms for secondhand
Synonyms: Adjective
Antonyms: Adjective
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Examples of secondhand in a Sentence
Adjective
a dealer in secondhand furniture He's always haunting the secondhand shops for bargains.Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Such shows are often content to bask in the secondhand splendor of the stylist’s clients and in the decadence of overstuffed showroom racks. — Troy Patterson, The New Yorker, "Why “Styling Hollywood” Is One of the Best Celebrity-Stylist Reality Shows," 30 Aug. 2019 The mythical lumberjack is dressed in clothes recycled from secondhand stores. — Deanna Weniger, Twin Cities, "Sold! Paul Bunyan, the big voice on recycling at the State Fair, has been auctioned to a new owner," 30 Aug. 2019 ThredUp Retailers have arguably been missing an opportunity by ignoring secondhand sales. — Marc Bain, Quartzy, "ThredUp is helping big stores sell recycled clothes," 21 Aug. 2019 Now Macy’s will add some of that high quality secondhand product to select stores. — Doreen Christensen, sun-sentinel.com, "Thrifting at JCP and Macy’s: ThreadUp now in South Florida stores | Doreen’s Deals," 16 Aug. 2019 Arc Thrift Stores is a chain of 30 stores across the state that sells and accepts donations of secondhand clothing and household items. — Carina Julig, The Denver Post, "Arc Thrift Stores’ economic impact in Colorado is huge — to the tune of $2.3 billion since 2005 — a DU study shows," 31 July 2019 Poshmark, an online retailer of secondhand clothing, expanded earlier this month into home decor with items including bedding and bath. — CBS News, "Luxury second-hand site The RealReal sees stock jump 45% after IPO," 28 June 2019 The secondhand clothing market is also expected to keep growing. — Marc Bain, Quartzy, "There’s never been a better time—or more need—to buy your clothes used," 16 Aug. 2019 Cheap secondhand goods are already popping up in some South Florida Macy’s stores. — Doreen Christensen, sun-sentinel.com, "Thrifting at JCP and Macy’s: ThreadUp now in South Florida stores | Doreen’s Deals," 16 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
For example, the more recent past can be examined by measuring how much carbon-14 in a sample has decayed into nitrogen, with each stage of decay like the ticking of a second hand. — New York Times, "Overlooked No More: Elizabeth Rona, Pioneering Scientist Amid Dangers of War," 28 Aug. 2019 When the watch transitions to speedometer mode, the second hand suddenly describes the current speed in metric or imperial, the minute hand shows distance traveled, and the date dial shows the average speed. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "This Bike Speedometer Is Also a Smartwatch," 30 Nov. 2016 So grab the father figure in your life and get ready to either laugh or suffer from second hand embarrassment with some of these jokes. — Tamara Fuentes, Seventeen, "25 Hilarious Dad Jokes That’ll Make You Die Laughing," 9 May 2019 However, this online community is also one of our favorite websites to find (or sell!) hidden fashion gems, whether vintage or second hand. — Teen Vogue, "10 Etsy Shops Where You’ll Definitely Score The Best Vintage," 4 Apr. 2019 Sierra Nevada’s approach is fairly radical—the Air Force doesn’t like buying second hand planes, but the aircraft will essentially be new, inexpensive, and not saddled with older, more expensive to maintain systems. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The Air Force Wants Helicopters to Help Defend Nuclear Missiles," 10 Aug. 2018 There was a case several years ago in which a homeowner sued their neighbor and the HOA regarding second hand smoke, and after weeks in court won a judgment (imagine the amount of attorney fees!). — Kelly G. Richardson, sandiegouniontribune.com, "HOA Homefront: Where there’s smoke, there may be unhappy neighbors," 23 June 2018 Smaller objects, like the second hand, orbit faster than the bigger ones. — Jay Bennett, Popular Mechanics, "A New Study Could Explain Away Some Evidence for Planet Nine," 4 June 2018 As of this year, Rosebrough says there's no immediate plans for surgery on her second hand as injuries were far more severe. — Charlene Santiago, star-telegram, "'We help them have a life that God desires for all man kind'," 26 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'secondhand.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for secondhand
secondhand
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of secondhand
: having had a previous owner
: buying or selling things that have already been owned or used
: not original : taken from someone who was not directly involved
See the full definition for secondhand in the English Language Learners Dictionary
secondhand
adjective
sec·ond·hand
| \ ˌse-kənd-ˈhand
\
\
Kids Definition of secondhand
1
: not new : having had a previous owner