secondhand

Adjective · Adverb
US[sek-uhnd-hand]/ˈsɛkəndˌhænd/3 syllables
Synonyms: used

Open English WordNet

Adjective (2)

  1. derived from what is primary or original; not firsthand“a secondhand report”“a secondhand account of a memory of something once read”“most of our knowledge is secondhand”Opposite primarySimilar secondary
  2. previously used or owned by another“bought a secondhand (or used) car”Synonyms: usedOpposite newSimilar old

Adverb (1)

  1. by indirect means“I heard about it only secondhand or thirdhand”“he prefers to buy secondhand”
Word of the day · Nov 10About this word
hiatusnoun

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Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Sec′ond·hand′ adjective

1. Not original or primary; received from another; as, secondhand information.

They have but a secondhand or implicit knowledge.— John Locke

2. Not new; already or previously possessed or used by another; as, a secondhand book, garment.

At second hand. See Hand, noun, 10.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54 · with additions: +PJC

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