A piece of cloth, usually square and often fine and elegant, carried for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands.
handkerchief
Definitions, parts of speech, synonyms, and sentence examples for handkerchief.
Editorial note
A mother appears in front of you, with haunted eyes and a worry-worn handkerchief in hand.
Quick take
A piece of cloth, usually square and often fine and elegant, carried for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands.
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of handkerchief gathered in one view.
A piece of cloth shaped like a handkerchief to be worn about the neck; a neckerchief or neckcloth.
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for handkerchief.
noun
A piece of cloth, usually square and often fine and elegant, carried for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands.
noun
A piece of cloth shaped like a handkerchief to be worn about the neck; a neckerchief or neckcloth.
Example sentences
A mother appears in front of you, with haunted eyes and a worry-worn handkerchief in hand.
I am pretty old fashioned in that I carry a handkerchief and try to have more iced drinks.
In most cases, crying or bleeding strangers will use a handkerchief I give them.
They don't have to worry about paper towel dispensers being destroyed, because they don't have them; instead, everyone carries around a handkerchief-sized towel in their pocket.
I imagine you have never opened a beer bottle with a paper handkerchief?
Even so they could not fully protect themselves from pickpockets who slashed pockets with a knife to liberate a few coins or even just a silk handkerchief.
And sometimes that something-good is a an endless handkerchief.
We just had to make sure the rancher's bull was not going to notice us (or sneakily hang a red handkerchief on one of your buddies' backpack).
But, for me, that same sub-zero weather often causes my nose to make more mucus -- so breathing both in and out means a lot more use of a handkerchief, or a nasty snotty moustache.
Nothing too much different from a cross-stitched handkerchief.
And you keep that endless handkerchief you found.
I felt my soul or something coming right out of my body, like you'd pull a silk handkerchief out of a pocket by one corner.
Quote examples
"blowing your nose in a handkerchief is disgusting." I am curious, where in the world is that acceptable (especially during lunch) and where disgusting..
> probably because my brain somehow expects that the handkerchief cannot hit the eye "there will be a barrier"..
He said "the tissue was damaged", so I offered him my handkerchief.
This body of statutes, which later came to be criticised as a “Bloody Code”, meant that one could be executed for stealing as little as a handkerchief or a sheep.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use handkerchief in a sentence?
A mother appears in front of you, with haunted eyes and a worry-worn handkerchief in hand.
What does handkerchief mean?
A piece of cloth, usually square and often fine and elegant, carried for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands.
What part of speech is handkerchief?
handkerchief is commonly used as noun.