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

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Etymology

Origin of dune

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

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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

"Firefighters will carry out combined operations of clearing forest undergrowth and treating the edges of the fire in the dune area," a prefecture official said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

The teenager claimed that her boyfriend had gone up alone to the sand dune where the trio were, but Turley was not there initially.

From BBC ● May 21, 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

At Monte Clérigo, researchers identified 5 trackways and 26 individual footprints created by adults and by children slightly over a year old on the slope of what was once a coastal dune.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 13, 2025

A long tail slid in the dark shadow of the dune before him.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

It said the initiative would focus on landscapes across Cornwall's coastal grasslands, dunes and heathland as well as grazing marshes and sea walls in Kent and the upland fringe landscape of the North Pennines.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

The tournament is set to draw up to 75,000 spectators to the links course, set among towering dunes on a rugged stretch of County Clare coastline.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

Eighty percent of the bird species in Albania can be found here, across sand dunes, pine forest, and a lagoon that stretches over 16 square miles.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

The retreat boasts secluded white sand, dunes, a palm-lined lagoon and multiple beaches, several of which Depp named in honor of people close to him, including his children and former partner Vanessa Paradis.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

They sat within the graceful slopes of dunes, tucked away from the road and the few cars and jeeps going by.

From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye

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Related Words

• knoll
• ridge
• sand dune

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