Meanings
plural handouts · alternative hand-out
- An act of handing out something.
- A printed sheet such as a leaflet or pamphlet, or a worksheet, that is given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use, for example as an advertisement or for information.
Therefore, it is often recommended that the framework or outline for a lecture be provided to students on the chalkboard or in a handout so they can more easily follow the logic as the lecture progresses.
2010, Jeane W. Anastas, “Teaching Courses: Methods and Modalities”, in Teaching in Social Work: An Educators’ Guide to Theory and Practice, New York, N.Y.; Chichester, West Sussex: Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page 39- Synonym of press release (“an official written statement that is sent to the media so that it can be publicized”).
Synonyms: press release
- derogatoryinformaloftenA gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor.
You're just looking for a handout like every other—are you employed, Mr. Lebowski?
1998 January 18, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, The Big Lebowski, spoken by Jeffrey “The Big” Lebowski (David Huddleston), United States: Gramercy Pictures; PolyGram Films International, →OCLC, archived from the original on 04 Jul 20244 more examples
We ain't runnin' no day nursery. These you see here is all the real thing. Maybe we asks fer a handout now and then; but that ain't our reg'lar lay.
1917 (date written), Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Oakdale Affair”, in The Blue Book Magazine, Chicago, Ill.: Story-press Corp., published March 1918, →OCLC; republished Doylestown, Pa.: Wildside Press, 2003, →ISBN, page 19They dropped old Henry at Tarpin, where he soon drank up all his wages. When Rapp picked him up there, he was living on hand-outs.
1925, Willa Cather, chapter III, in The Professor’s House, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, →OCLC, book II (Tom Outland’s Story), page 196A woman, dressed in simple and worn clothes, holding a very young and rather dirty looking baby, was seeking a handout.
2009, Chloe Schwenke, “Introduction”, in Reclaiming Value in International Development: The Moral Dimensions of Development Policy and Practice in Poor Countries, Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers, Greenwood Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 1With mounting pressure as households face a financial squeeze, the foreign secretary rejected handouts and insisted on tax cuts costing more than £30bn as the country spirals towards a recession. "Of course I will look at what more can be done," [Liz] Truss told the Financial Times. "But the way I would do things is in a Conservative way of lowering the tax burden, not giving out handouts."
2022 August 6, Geneva Abdul, “Liz Truss rejects ‘handouts’ as way to tackle cost of living crisis”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 08 Jul 2024Synonyms: bonsella
- broadlyderogatoryinformaloftenSomething obtained without effort; a gift, a present.
They [Manchester United] had contributed heavily to their own downfall, most glaringly with the senselessness of Chris Smalling's red card, and they should know by now that Manuel Pellegrini's team are not the kind of opponents to pass up these kind of handouts.
2014 November 2, Daniel Taylor, “Sergio Agüero strike wins derby for Manchester City against 10-man United”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 14 Jun 2023Synonyms: bonsella, benefaction, boon, concession, donative, fairing, gift, grant
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of press release (“an official written statement that is sent to the media so that it can be publicized”).
nounA gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor.
nounSomething obtained without effort; a gift, a present.
More synonyms by meaning
nounan announcement distributed to members of the press in order to supplement or replace an oral presentation
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Deverbal from hand out.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic كُرَّاسَة, نَشْرَة
- كُرَّاسَة (kurrāsa)printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- نَشْرَة (našra)printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
Bulgarian брошура, дипляна
- брошура (brošura)printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- дипляна (dipljana)printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- милости́ня (milostínja)gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
Dutch handout, hand-out
- handoutprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- hand-outprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
Finnish ojentaminen, jakaminen
- ojentaminenact of handing out something
- jakaminenact of handing out something
- jakoact of handing out something
- esitelmämonisteprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- käsimonisteprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- lappuprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- luentomonisteprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- mainoslehtinenprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- monisteprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- opetusmonisteprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- paperiprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- tiedoteprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- ilmaiseksi jaettuof a thing: given out free of charge, usually by hand
- ilmaiseksi jakamiseen liittyväof or pertaining to the giving of handouts
French polycopié, aumône
- polycopiéprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- aumônegift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
German Handout, Flugblatt
- Handoutprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- Flugblattprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- Handreichungprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- Zettelprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- Almosengift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
Hindi विज्ञप्ति
- विज्ञप्ति (vijñapti)printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
Irish bileog, bileog eolais
- bileogprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- bileog eolaisprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- bileog faisnéiseprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- bileoigínprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- dáileánprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- duilleprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- glacán bileogprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- síneadh láimhegift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
Italian scartoffia, volantino
- scartoffiaprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- volantinoprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- donazionegift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
- regaliagift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
Japanese ビラ, びら
- ビラprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- びら (bira)printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- チラシ (chirashi)printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- プリント (purinto)printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- 施し物 (hodokoshimono)gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
Māori tohanga
- tohangaprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
Persian جزوه
- جزوهprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
Polish datek, wspomożenie
- datekgift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
- wspomożeniegift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
- zapomogagift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
Portuguese ficha
- fichaprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
Russian хэнда́ут, памфле́т
- хэнда́ут (xɛndáut)printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- памфле́т (pamflét)printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- разда́точный материа́л (razdátočnyj materiál)printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- ми́лостыня (mílostynja)gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
- подая́ние (podajánije)gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
Spanish apunte, folleto
- apunteprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- folletoprinted sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use
- donativogift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
- limosnagift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
Ukrainian да́ток
- да́ток (dátok)gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie
Cite this entry
handout. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/handout
“handout.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/handout. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “handout,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/handout.
Source: handout on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.