hankie

noun

han·​kie ˈhaŋ-kē How to pronounce hankie (audio)
variants or hanky
plural hankies

Examples of hankie in a Sentence

held a hankie up to his nose and blew vigorously
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
If you’re headed to the Soraya, don’t worry about taking too many hankies — the tragedy takes a back seat to the comedy, though the former is deeply felt in the few moments where Newman is really going for it. Chris Willman, Variety, 28 Sep. 2024 So Judy Garland and Kay Thompson went out to this tent in Connecticut, or wherever, and burst into tears watching her perform but didn’t have a hankie. Juan A. Ramírez, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024 Related: Best Pie Recipes for Any Occasion 3 Handkerchief Bunting Kids will love helping set the mood for merriment by folding vintage hankies in half diagonally and hanging them on lengths of sturdy jute twine using small wooden clothespins. Charlyne Mattox, Country Living, 24 June 2023 Threads fly and snag over the grid of hankies, and become their own calligraphy. Cate McQuaid, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Apr. 2023 See all Example Sentences for hankie 

Word History

Etymology

handkerchief + -ie

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hankie was in 1878

Dictionary Entries Near hankie

Cite this Entry

“Hankie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hankie. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!