What does "full-handed" mean?
Carrying something, especially something valuable, such as a gift.
Full-handed
adj, adv
adj, adv ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Carrying something, especially something valuable, such as a gift.
- Grammar: full-handed is listed as adj, adv.
- Useful contrasts: empty-handed.
- Usage evidence: He was not only carrying a candle to put the finishing touch to him as a target; he had dispensed with coat and waistcoat downstairs, and was at once full-handed and unarmed
How to use "full-handed"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "full-handed" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "full-handed" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "full-handed" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "full-handed" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "full-handed" is acting as adj, adv in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with a nearby word before publishing so the final choice matches the reader's expectations.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "full-handed", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Carrying something, especially something valuable, such as a gift.
"He was not only carrying a candle to put the finishing touch to him as a target; he had dispensed with coat and waistcoat downstairs, and was at once full-handed and unarmed"
- 2 Wealthy, having all that is needed.
"Mr. Beers came to the country full-handed, with a handsome competency to commence any business he might choose, independent of missionary patronage."
- 3 Enthusiastic and generous.
"Have we not the theatre, its triumphs, and full-handed thunders of applause?"
- 4 Using the palm of the hand or broad gestures.
"A spit on the palm and a full-handed slap was a deal but if only fingertips slapped then the bargaining would continue."
- 5 Having people that fill all positions.
"All that was about what you should do in a full-handed hold 'em game when you're the small blind versus a big blind. But, suppose instead that the game is two-handed from the get go."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Complete; fully qualified or fully equipped.
"He regarded his younger brother as a “full-handed man of practice” and himself merely “a supported theorist.”"
Adverb
- 1 With full hands; bearing valuables or gifts.
"On this occasion the minister came full-handed. He told her, first, as appears from her notes and letters, that he had definitely decided to appoint a Sanitary Committee at the India Office. He read out the list of names;"
- 2 As a wealthy person, having all that is needed.
"One does not remember one's birth -- one has to be told. But with me it was different; life came to me full-handed and dowered me with all my faculties and powers."
- 3 Generously and whole-heartedly.
"By the promptings of religious instinct and principle, our churches have been built and our asylums founded, and charity full-handed has bestowed her lavish gifts upon the unfortunate."
- 4 With the entire hand.
"Can scribble, grasping crayon full-handed and awkwardly."
- 5 Fully staffed or with all positions filled.
"But if we must run, who are left to run? From Bull Run they ran full-handed. But we have fought until maimed soldiers, women, and children are all that remain to run."
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- 6 In a complete and fully-formed manner.
"Language is also elemental: at the tender dawn of childhood, it enters life with laughing eyes and prattling lips; at maturity's noon, it moves full-handed and deep-voiced in all the concerns of men;"
Antonyms
Example
"He was not only carrying a candle to put the finishing touch to him as a target; he had dispensed with coat and waistcoat downstairs, and was at once full-handed and unarmed"
Common questions
How do you use "full-handed" in a sentence?
He was not only carrying a candle to put the finishing touch to him as a target; he had dispensed with coat and waistcoat downstairs, and was at once full-handed and unarmed
Etymology
From full + handed.