Handbill
noun
noun ·2 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A pruning hook.
- 2 A loose printed sheet, to be distributed by hand.
"Messengers for Mankind.—By Wilfrid L. Randell. [...] Among the many illustrations is a reproduction of the historic handbill of the Great Western Railway announcing the introduction of the railway electric telegraph more than 100 years ago."
- 3 an advertisement (usually printed on a page or in a leaflet) intended for wide distribution wordnet
- 4 A chopping instrument; billhook.
Example
More examples"Messengers for Mankind.—By Wilfrid L. Randell. [...] Among the many illustrations is a reproduction of the historic handbill of the Great Western Railway announcing the introduction of the railway electric telegraph more than 100 years ago."
Etymology
Etymology 1
From hand + bill (“cutting instrument”).
Etymology 2
From hand + bill (“sheet of paper”).
Related phrases
More for "handbill"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.