fistful

noun

fist·​ful ˈfist-ˌfu̇l How to pronounce fistful (audio)
1
: handful
a fistful of coins
2
: a considerable number or amount
a whole fistful of musiciansThomas Lask

Examples of fistful in a Sentence

She has won a fistful of awards. repairing the roof is going to cost a fistful of money
Recent Examples on the Web While pushing ever forward, at the end of the day, Bey's just a good, old-fashioned entertainer, throwing fistfuls of razzle and dazzle our way. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2024 The best room There’s a fistful of room categories at this hotel, cannily carved out of the conversion footprint, which took the former room count down from 72 to just 50, so choose carefully. Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2024 The opening images of the cookbook Code Noir: Afro-Caribbean Stories and Recipes tell an enticing food story of the island region: first, a fistful of Scotch bonnet chiles, the ubiquitous spicy and colorful peppers of the islands. Jessica Carbone, Saveur, 29 Feb. 2024 There are a few bright spots: In one early episode, Aang and Katara practice waterbending by an actual river, scooping up fistfuls of water to playfully splash each other. Devan Coggan, EW.com, 22 Feb. 2024 My beloved of-the-moment ingredients, from juicy tomatoes to fistfuls of soft herbs, invite you to go in so many directions. Julia Turshen, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 Within moments, the mascot was toasted, picked apart in fistfuls and eaten by the Pop-Tarts Bowl champions and their family members, as purple and white confetti rained down. Samantha Chery, Washington Post, 29 Dec. 2023 Breakfast At Ritz, Couture Fittings with Debra Shaw, and A Champagne Toast—A Day in the Life of Thom Browne The stylist, who always has a fistful of rings and gold-laden lobes, created Méga after wanting to find jewelry pieces that could be seamlessly styled together. Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 16 Nov. 2023 The volume marks the decisive first step in the sequence that has launched her to prestige in France, sown a fistful of acolytes, and made her first three works, all novels, look like feints before the stunning project that’s established her proper genre—a kind of autobiography. Tobi Haslett, Harper's Magazine, 18 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fistful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fistful was in 1611

Dictionary Entries Near fistful

Cite this Entry

“Fistful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fistful. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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