handout

1 of 2

noun

hand·​out ˈhand-ˌau̇t 

1

sometimes disapproving : food, clothing, or money given to someone who is poor

also : money given to a person or organization by the government

2

: a folder or circular of information for free distribution

3

: a prepared statement released to the news media

hand out

2 of 2

verb

handed out; handing out; hands out

transitive verb

1

a

: to give without charge

b

: to give freely

2

: administer

handed out a severe punishment

Synonyms of handout

Verb

• distribute
• dispense
• provide
• deal (out)
• allocate
• divide
• dole out
• portion
• supply

Examples of handout in a Sentence

Noun

He sat on the sidewalk asking for a handout.

The family wasn't interested in government handouts.

The handouts had all the major points of his speech outlined on them.

Verb

no system yet in place for handing out room assignments

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Las Vegas and the state of Nevada gave the Athletics hundreds of millions of dollars to build their new stadium on The Strip, a handout that Oakland likely couldn’t match. —Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026

Aurora Police Officer Mark Moore and his K9 Cyrus are seen in an undated handout photo. —Austen Erblat, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026

Verb

Each Chargers scout receives one blue star to hand out to a single prospect in a draft. —Daniel Popper, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026

And would the president appear — as others have at past WHCDs — to hand out awards to journalists who have done work that investigated him or the White House or revealed unsavory things about his time in it? —Brian Steinberg, Variety, 25 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1882, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for handout

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Kids Definition

handout

noun

hand·​out ˈhan-ˌdau̇t 

1

: food, clothing, or money given to a beggar

2

: an information sheet for free distribution

3

: a prepared statement released to the press