How to Use hand-me-down in a Sentence

hand-me-down

adjective
  • The sound is hand-me-down, but the hope in her voice is brand new.
    — Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2024
  • The sweater was a hand-me-down from her mother, and the hat once belonged to her son.
    — Daisuke Wakabayashi, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024
  • Sure to last for years and years, this is the ultimate hand-me-down.
    — Toby Rose, Parents, 24 Oct. 2024
  • Don’t be afraid to paint things white—new pieces, heirlooms, hand-me-downs.
    — Eleni N. Gage, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Apr. 2023
  • Both my first and middle names were hand-me-downs, the monikers of my parents' good friends.
    — April Wallace, arkansasonline.com, 3 Oct. 2024
  • That way, siblings can still look stylish in hand-me-downs that will still feel fresh.
    — Hitha Herzog, Parents, 10 July 2023
  • My mom grew up very poor, and her clothes were hand-me-downs or her stepmom made them.
    — Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2023
  • Kate Hudson knows the importance of a good hand-me-down.
    — Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024
  • A lot of these kids have been playing in hand-me-down shoes, two sizes too small or with no grip left.
    — Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2024
  • The desks came out of a dumpster and the computers were hand-me-downs, but students showed up.
    — Mike Belleme, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025
  • His voice is as deep as a canyon, tough as tree bark and weathered like a hand-me-down saddle.
    — Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 27 Jan. 2024
  • Yes, they were banned years ago, but some are still around, including as hand-me-downs.
    — Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Mar. 2024
  • Even as an adult, little brother still gets hand-me-downs.
    — Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel, 25 Feb. 2025
  • To carry out the revenge, Manta needs to repair his suit (which looks like a hand-me-down from the Ant-Man movies).
    — Olivia McCormack, Washington Post, 21 Dec. 2023
  • Another hand-me-down, that thing, with tires that were beyond flat.
    — The Indianapolis Star, 19 Mar. 2023
  • Then, to get a new fishing pole and not a hand-me-down one from your grandfather or uncle was a big deal.
    — John Carlisle and Visuals By Ryan Garza, Freep.com, 11 June 2023
  • Their team, the Strikers, has a roster of rejects in hand-me-down coats and lacks good equipment, a deep bench and a coach who shows up on time.
    — Ellen Piligian, Detroit Free Press, 7 Jan. 2024
  • Or donate old gadgets to someone else on this list, who will be happy to get your hand-me-downs!
    — Jennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, 31 Aug. 2023
  • Middle children recall their wardrobe of hand-me-downs.
    — Allie Volpe, Vox, 10 June 2024
  • Her uniforms were hand-me-downs from his older daughter.
    — J. David McSwane, ProPublica, 7 Dec. 2024
  • But there’s no Botox at this backyard bar: The hand-me-down hubcaps and rusted bikes are still hanging on the fences, and the best seat is still from an old truck bed.
    — Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas News, 13 Mar. 2023
  • Bier’s family had less money than Jonathan’s, and the richer boy would often give him hand-me-downs.
    — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2024
  • While some had just enough time to snag valuables and hard drives, others went straight for childhood belongings and hand-me-downs.
    — Marianne Eloise, Architectural Digest, 31 Jan. 2025
  • This is the tradition that Hsieh decided to mine, a sort of hand-me-down from his father and grandmother.
    — Tim Carman, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2023
  • Jenna’s stoop sale inspired a pack of city dwellers eager to get their hands on her hand-me-downs to queue around a SoHo block one Tuesday in June.
    — Charlotte Collins, Architectural Digest, 1 Aug. 2024
  • Any dad trying to parent well in 2023 knows that a hand-me-down set of wooden blocks and a rubber ball are going to last kids only so long.
    — Paul Kita, Men's Health, 9 May 2023
  • In addition to the hand-me-down dress, Beatrice also wore the tiara Queen Elizabeth wore at her wedding.
    — Rachel Burchfield, People.com, 18 Dec. 2024
  • My sisters’ hand-me-downs were highly coveted by us all.
    — Lola Kirke, Vogue, 21 Jan. 2025
  • My hand-me-down version was not nearly as nice to look at as the Lalo Play Kitchen, which rivals any designer adult kitchen.
    — Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 7 Feb. 2025
  • Recently, my friend told me that her best friend was offended that she wasn’t given these hand-me-downs instead of me.
    — Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 14 Nov. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hand-me-down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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