dune

[doon, dyoon]

noun

1. a sand hill or sand ridge formed by the wind, usually in desert regions or near lakes and oceans.

dune

/ djuːn /

noun

1. a mound or ridge of drifted sand, occurring on the sea coast and in deserts

dune

1. A hill or ridge of wind-blown sand. Dunes are capable of moving by the motion of their individual grains but usually keep the same shape.

2. See more at barchan dune draa longitudinal dune seif dune transverse dune

Word History and Origins

Origin of dune¹

1780–90; < French, Old French < Middle Dutch dūna; cognate with down ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of dune¹

C18: via Old French from Middle Dutch dūne; see _down ³

Example Sentences

During the Martian winter, when temperatures plunge to around minus 120 degrees Celsius, ice accumulates on the dunes.

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Training on his hometown’s sand dunes and in the Pacific Northwest’s windswept rains, Prefontaine broke national records at Marshfield High School and then at the University of Oregon.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Over the summer, he invited his teammates to the sand dunes in Manhattan Beach.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“The waves are coming up over the dunes and over the road,” Lonka said.

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From the sand dunes, looking inland, the terrain gradually climbs into dense bushland.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• knoll 
• ridge 
• sand dune www.thesaurus.com