dune

American  

[doon, dyoon] / dun, djun /

noun

dunes plural

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

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dune British  

/ djuːn /

noun

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

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dune Scientific  

/ do̅o̅n /

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dunes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dune

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

Explanation

A dune is a natural hill made of sand, either on a beach or in a desert. It's a good idea to bring plenty of water and a camel if you're trekking across sand dunes in the Sahara. Sometimes people drive special vehicles on the dunes beside the ocean — these are sometimes called "dune buggies." These seaside dunes are formed by a combination of wind and water, while the dunes in a desert are purely the result of wind. The origin of the word dune is somewhat uncertain, although it probably comes from a French word with an older Germanic root.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dune dunes

The scheme, alongside others including Nuclear Waste Services and Cumbria Wildlife Trust, will involve surveying the county's sand dune habitats which, like those in the rest of the country, have been historically degraded.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

Emojis, Disney characters, cigarettes and more pile up in humorous scenes that include a saber-toothed tiger driving a dune buggy and a pair of corvids fighting over a worm.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

"There are now four known species of trapdoor spiders in California that live exclusively in coastal dune habitats," said corresponding author Emma Jochim, a doctoral student in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2025

The scientists noted that on the northeastern side of Owens Lake, the Keeler Dunes transitioned during the last century from a “largely vegetated dune system” to one that releases more dust.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2025

While I wait for instructions from the command center, I continue to rove, gliding over a sand dune that is relatively easy to traverse.

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga

This could involve artificially creating corridors in the dunes to channel wind so sand can move around more, Harper said.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

"As far we know, the rare beetles can only be found at two locations in the UK - the Sefton sand dunes between Southport and Liverpool and Drigg in Cumbria," he said.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

They would remain there, amid the dunes and dappled sunlight of Cape Cod’s hooked terminus, until Cook’s death in 2004.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

His father, who helped manage the new Burns Harbor plant for Bethlehem Steel, chose to move his family half an hour northeast along the dunes rather than west where more Black Midwesterners lived.

From Slate ● May 7, 2026

Nice when someone remembers Dad, he thinks, before turning his attention to a pair of surfers crossing the sand dunes barefoot.

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

Related Words

• knoll
• ridge
• sand dune