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My mother used to take my brother and me to get any books we wanted, but they were second hand books published in the '30s and '40s. I liked scary books.
Alejandro Amenabar

Meaning of "second hand" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF SECOND HAND

second hand play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF SECOND HAND

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Second hand is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES SECOND HAND MEAN IN ENGLISH?

second hand

Used good

A second-hand or used good is one that is being purchased by or otherwise transferred to a second or later end user. A used good can also simply mean it is no longer in the same condition as it was when transferred to the current owner. When "used" means an item has expended its purpose, it is typically called garbage, instead. Used goods may be transferred informally between friends and family for free as "hand-me-downs" or they may be sold for a fraction of their original price at garage sales or in church bazaar fundraisers. Governments require some used goods to be sold through regulated markets, as in the case of items which have safety and legal issues, such as used firearms or cars; for these items, government licensing bodies require certification and registration of the sale, to prevent the sale of stolen, unregistered, or unsafe goods. As well, for some high-value used goods, such as cars and motorcycles, governments regulate used sales to ensure that the government gets its sales tax revenue from the sale.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE SECOND HAND

second cousin
Second Empire
Second Epistle of John
second estate
second fiddle
second floor
second form
second gear
second generation
second growth
second home
second house
Second International
second language
second lieutenant
second man
second mate
second mortgage
second name
second nature

WORDS THAT END LIKE SECOND HAND

a free hand
a heavy hand
at first hand
at hand
at second hand
by hand
come to hand
first hand
free hand
from hand to hand
hand
hand in hand
hat in hand
helping hand
in hand
on hand
out of hand
take in hand
the upper hand
to hand
upper hand

Synonyms and antonyms of second hand in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «second hand» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF SECOND HAND

Find out the translation of second hand to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of second hand from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «second hand» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

二手
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

segunda mano
570 millions of speakers

English

second hand
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

सेकंड हैंड
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

من جهة ثانية
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

вторая рука
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

usado
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

দ্বিতীয় হাত
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

d´occasion
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

terpakai
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

gebraucht
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

秒針
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

둘째 손
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Tangan liyane
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

Mặt thứ hai
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

இரண்டாவது கை
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

वापरलेले
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

ikinci el
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

seconda mano
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

potrzebne
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

друга рука
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

la mâna a doua
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

δεύτερο χέρι
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

tweedehandse
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

behövs
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

nødvendig
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of second hand

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «SECOND HAND»

The term «second hand» is very widely used and occupies the 14.265 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
94
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «second hand» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of second hand
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «second hand».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «SECOND HAND» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «second hand» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «second hand» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about second hand

EXAMPLES

3 QUOTES WITH «SECOND HAND»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word second hand.
1
Alejandro Amenabar
My mother used to take my brother and me to get any books we wanted, but they were second hand books published in the '30s and '40s. I liked scary books.
2
Ben Hecht
Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock.
3
M.I.A.
When we moved to England in 1986, I was ten years old and I didn't know anything about punk or hip hop. The only words I knew in English were 'dance' and 'Michael Jackson.' We got put in a flat in Mitchum, and the council gave us second hand furniture, second hand clothes and a second hand radio that I took to bed with me every night.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «SECOND HAND»

Discover the use of second hand in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to second hand and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Second-hand dog: how to turn yours into a first-rate pet
Describes the care, training, and rehabilitation of previously owned or formerly homeless dogs, focusing on their special problems and needs.
Carol Lea Benjamin, 1988
2
Alternative Exchanges: Second-hand Circulations from the ...
This volume explores the changing meaning of the circulation of second-hand goods from the Renaissance to today, and thereby examines the blurring of boundaries between market, gifts, and charity.
Laurence Fontaine, 2008
3
Second-Hand Cultures
Drawing on six years of original research, this book explores what happens when the often contradictory motivations behind style and survival strategies are brought together in the second hand trade.
Nicky Gregson, Louise Crewe, 2003
4
Old clothes, new looks: second hand fashion
This book not only shows how important used clothing has become but also what role it plays in culture and history. The Japanese, for example, traditionally salvage sections of kimonos, while in India garments are inexhaustibly recycled.
Alexandra Palmer, Hazel Clark, 2005
5
The Second-hand Parrot: Everything about Adoption, Housing, ...
The many titles in this series show and tell pet owners how to care for dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles, gerbils, hamsters, and virtually every other animal that is kept as a pet.
Mattie Sue Athan, Dianalee Deter, 2002
6
Second Hand Smoke: A Novel
Second Hand Smoke is the story of Mila's sons, Issac and Duncan, the one secretly abandoned in Poland, and the other, American-born, raised as an avenging Nazi hunter, poisoned with rage.
Thane Rosenbaum, 2000
7
Second Hand Art
Those are Henry's favorite days. But the best day of all is the day Henry realizes what Allen's Second Hand Art can teach him about himself! Once they were broken and abandoned, but they can become beautiful in time.
Cynthia Fabian, 2010
8
Second-Hand Stories
Written between 1993 and 2005, the articles in this book highlight major figurers and movements in Louisville history."--Back cover.
Michael Jones, 2006
9
Dedicated to You: A Secret History of Second-Hand Books
This is not always the case, though ... Wayne Gooderham is fascinated by second-hand books and curates a growing collection of those featuring intriguing inscriptions.
Wayne Gooderham, 2013
10
Second Hand Spaces: Recycling Sites Undergoing Urban ...
In nine essays, twenty-seven experts highlight the backgrounds, actors, and effects of second hand spaces based on fifteen projects from Europe, resulting in thematic links to current social discourses throughout the book.
Michael Ziehlke, Sarah Osswald, Oliver Hasemann, 2012

2 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «SECOND HAND»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term second hand is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Second Hand Husband
Despite the lack of depth in terms of story or character building, Second Hand Marriage is fairly funny in portions, thanks to the antics of Dharmendra and a ... «Times of India, Jul 15»
2
Don't blink or you might miss the leap second
This Tuesday, June 30, 2015 photo shows the second hand of a clock at the one second mark in New York. On Tuesday, international timekeepers are tacking a ... «WAVY-TV, Jun 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Second hand [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/second-hand>. Apr 2024 ».
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