HANDHELD

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does handheld mean? 

• HANDHELD (adjective)
  The adjective HANDHELD has 1 sense:

1. small and light enough to be operated while you hold it in your hands

  Familiarity information: HANDHELD used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HANDHELD (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Small and light enough to be operated while you hold it in your hands

Classified under:

Participial adjectives

Synonyms:

hand-held; handheld

Context example:

a hand-held computer

Participle:

hold (have or hold in one's hands or grip)

 Context examples 

Use of a cutting burr in a handheld instrument to remove diseased tooth structure and/or shape a tooth for retention of a replacement material.

(Dental Drilling, NCI Thesaurus)

Introduced to the market in 2004, e-cigarettes are handheld electronic devices that heat a liquid, usually containing nicotine, into an aerosol that the user inhales.

(Using Electronic Cigarettes Can Damage DNA, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Using a 3-D printer, the researchers constructed a handheld component that could attach to a smartphone.

(Smartphone microscope detects nanoparticles and viruses, NIH)

A wireless handheld device from Research In Motion (RIM) that supports e-mail, mobile telephone, text messaging, web browsing and other wireless information services.

(BlackBerry, NCI Thesaurus)