dune
Americannoun
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dunes
plural
noun
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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.
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See more at barchan dune draa longitudinal dune seif dune transverse dune
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing dune
Physical Geography - Introductory
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Seas The Day: Words That Shore Are Beachy
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Non-Color Words to Use When Describing Color
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"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
To the south lie the Bureau of Land Management’s Imperial Sand Dunes, where dune buggies and motorcycles trace arcs across bare slopes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 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
The council also urged people to stay well clear of the dune face and take heed of warning signs in the area.
From BBC ● Jan. 8, 2026
The rover is stranded in the middle of a sand dune.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
Though the Scooby-Doo towers would never make it across the dunes, there are better ways to build a sandwich for adventure.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
“So then they asked me to walk down this beach, and every 10 minutes you’d hear ‘Rolling!’ and I’d have to lie down and hide behind these dunes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The area is lined with sweeping dunes and waterfront estates that make it comparable to Cape Cod and the Hamptons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
In the report they published following their visit, they highlighted damage to turtle nesting sites, bird habitats and the local dunes.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Then on the rise of a dune he heard the sea, louder again, not behind him but in front: the dunes sloped down again to another shore.
From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
