secondhand

/ˈsɛkəndˈhænd/

/sɛkɪndˈhænd/

Anything that's secondhand has been used before. Your secondhand boots may look brand new, but they were owned by someone else before you bought them.

Things that aren't new are secondhand, so you might buy a secondhand car from your grandma or shop at a secondhand clothing store to get good deals. You can also use this adjective to mean "not from an original or primary source." If your sister tells you that her best friend told her that he saw a famous movie star at the coffee shop, that's secondhand information.

Definitions of secondhand

1. adjective

   previously used or owned by another
   “bought a secondhand (or used) car”

   synonyms: used

   old

   of long duration; not new
2. adjective

   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”

   synonyms:

   secondary

   being of second rank or importance or value; not direct or immediate
3. adverb

   by indirect means
   “I heard about it only secondhand or thirdhand”

   “he prefers to buy secondhand”