/'hændfʊl; `hændful/
n (pl -fuls)
1 [C] ~ (of sth) as much or as many as can be held in one hand 一把
*pick up a handful of sand 抓起一把沙子.
2 [sing] ~ (of sb/sth) small number 少数; 少量
*a handful of people 少数几个人.
3 a handful [sing] (infml 口) person or animal that is difficult to control 难控制的人或动物
*That young lad is quite a handful, ie is lively and troublesome. 那个小伙子真难管束（活泼而淘气）.

n
[C]
an amount that you can hold in your hand
handful of
　The boy picked up a handful of stones and started throwing them at us.
a handful of sth
a very small number of people or things
　There were only a handful of people there.
be a handfulinformal
someone, especially a child, who is a handful is difficult to control
　She's a lovely child, but she can be a bit of a handful sometimes.