a small square of soft absorbent material, such as linen, silk, or soft paper, carried and used to wipe the nose, etc
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
hand•ker•chief /ˈhæŋkɚtʃɪf, -ˌtʃif/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- Clothinga small piece of fabric used for wiping the nose, eyes, etc., or worn for decoration.
hand•ker•chief
(hang′kər chif, -chēf′),USA pronunciation n.
- Clothinga small piece of linen, silk, or other fabric, usually square, and used esp. for wiping one's nose, eyes, face, etc., or for decorative purposes.
- Clothinga neckerchief or kerchief.
- hand + kerchief 1520–30
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'handkerchief' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Kleenex
- bandanna
- bloody
- chatelaine
- cleansing tissue
- corner table
- dab
- dainty
- delicate
- drop the handkerchief
- facial tissue
- handkerchief table
- hanky
- hdkf.
- impregnate
- kerchief
- mist
- mop
- mouchoir
- napkin
- nose rag
- pocket-handkerchief
- pocket-square
- poke
- rag
- snivel
- snot-rag
- sudarium
- take
- tissue
- veronica
- wave
- wipe
- wiper