secondhand

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secondhand

/ˌsɛk(ə)n(d)ˈhænd/
/ˈsɛk(ə)n(d)ˌhænd/

Rhymes with -ænd

Where it comes from

From second + hand.

adjective second-hand · second hand · secondhanded · second-handed · 2ndhand

not comparable, of goods Not new; previously owned and used by another.
Similar: used, preloved, pre-owned, hand-me-down
not comparable, of a dealer Dealing in such merchandise.
figuratively, not comparable Indirect; from a secondary source; not firsthand. In the light of recent history it is somewhat curious that this decisive power of the professional secondhand dealers in ideas should not yet be more generally recognized.
not comparable, of cigarette or cigar smoke Inhaled from the air near someone else smoking. exposure to secondhand smoke from cigarette-smoking colleagues

noun second-hand · second hand · secondhanded · second-handed · 2ndhand

uncountable Secondhand goods (especially clothes) collectively. Childrenswear is now the fastest growing sector of secondhand. […] The huge increase in the market for childrenswear shows another way in which older generations are getting into secondhand.

adverb second-hand · second hand · secondhanded · second-handed · 2ndhand

not comparable In a used or previously-owned condition. It was almost an article of faith with McEwen never to buy new if he could buy secondhand.
not comparable Indirectly.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: secondary, used, old, second-hand, indirect, passive, inre, firsthand, nonnew, unused, little-used, stale, unrefurbished, unoriginal, unvended, unworn

Translations

Every language

adj not new; previously owned and used by another

Español	de segunda mano, segunda mano
한국어	중고 junggo
日本語	中古 chūko, セコハン sekohan, セカンドハンド sekandohando
中文	第二手 dì'èrshǒu, 中古 zhōnggǔ
Kiswahili	mtumba
Português	de segunda mão
Français	seconde main, occasion, de seconde main
Deutsch	gebraucht, aus zweiter Hand, secondhand, Secondhand-
Italiano	di seconda mano
Ελληνικά	μεταχειρισμένος metacheirisménos
Română	la mâna a doua, second-hand
Русский	поде́ржанный podéržannyj, б b/u, у b/u
العربية	مُسْتَعْمَل mustaʕmal

adj dealing in such merchandise

Deutsch	Gebraucht-

adj indirect, passive

Deutsch	passiv, Passiv-, mittelbar, indirekt

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MLA

"secondhand." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/secondhand. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

secondhand. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/secondhand

Chicago

"secondhand." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/secondhand.

BibTeX

@misc{secondhand_2026,
  title = {secondhand},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/secondhand},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}