armful

IPA/ˈɑːmfʊl/
IPA/ˈɑːrmfʊl/

armful — noun

  • armfulsingular
  • armfulsplural

1. as much of something as you are able to hold against your body using one arm or

1.nounB2
Definition

as much of something as you are able to hold against your body using one arm or both arms together — for example, a stack of books, a bundle of clothes, or a heap of flowers gathered up from a garden.

Example

Ines walked out of the library with an armful of cookbooks for the weekend.

an armful of + plural countable noun

Grandpa gathered a huge armful of dry leaves and dropped them onto the bonfire.

Common collocations
  • an armful of books
  • an armful of flowers
  • an armful of laundry
  • armfuls of firewood
  • carry an armful
  • drop an armful
Synonyms
  • bundle

    a tied or loosely wrapped group of items, not tied to arm-carrying

  • load

    broader; can be carried by hand, vehicle, or animal, not just arms

  • heap

    an untidy pile, often resting on a surface rather than held

Grammar Patterns

an armful of + noun

armfuls of + noun

Usage Note

Almost always followed by 'of' plus a plural or uncountable noun naming what is being held (books, flowers, laundry, firewood). The plural 'armfuls' describes several separate loads carried one after another.

Common Mistakes

I bought an armful book.
I bought an armful of books.
'armful' needs 'of' plus the thing being carried.
She held an armful in her hands.
She held an armful of flowers.
readers expect 'armful' to specify what is being held.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe a quantity of stuff held or moved together, but they highlight different things. 'Armful' specifically pictures the carrier's body — what fits between two arms and the chest — and almost always takes 'of + noun'. 'Bundle' focuses on the items being tied, wrapped, or grouped, often with string or cloth, regardless of how they are carried. 'Load' is the broadest and most neutral: a load can ride on a truck, a donkey, or a person's back, and it suggests weight or burden more than shape. 'Heap' pictures an untidy pile, usually sitting on the ground or a table rather than being carried. Compare 'an armful of flowers' (held against the chest), 'a bundle of flowers' (tied with ribbon), and 'a heap of flowers' (lying on the counter).

armful ↗bundle ↗load ↗heap ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • an armful of
  • armfuls of
  • carry an armful of
  • drop an armful of
  • with an armful of

Prepositions

  • of (an armful of)

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

Formed in late Middle English by joining the noun 'arm' (the body part) with the suffix '-ful', meaning 'as much as something can hold'. The same pattern gives English 'handful', 'mouthful', 'spoonful', and 'cupful' — each one names a body part or container and turns it into a measure of how much it can carry at once.