Meanings
- By an intermediary or by indirect means; usually relating to something heard, by hearsay.
Even devoted monarchists knew of her only at second hand, as a cipher, a still, small, largely silent, smiling figure, bound by her sense of duty and service, surrounded by turmoil and hubbub.
September 8 2022, Stephen Bates, “Queen Elizabeth II obituary”, in The GuardianSynonyms: indirectly
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseBy an intermediary or by indirect means; usually relating to something heard, by hearsay.
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with at second hand
Cite this entry
at second hand. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20second%20hand
“at second hand.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20second%20hand. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “at second hand,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20second%20hand.
Source: at second hand on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.