quicksand

[kwik-sand]

noun

1. a bed of soft or loose sand saturated with water and having considerable depth, yielding under weight and therefore tending to suck down any object resting on its surface.

quicksand

/ ˈkwɪkˌsænd /

noun

1. a deep mass of loose wet sand that submerges anything on top of it

quicksand

1. A deep bed of loose, smoothly rounded sand grains, saturated with water and forming a soft, shifting mass that yields easily to pressure and tends to engulf objects resting on its surface. Although it is possible for a person to drown while mired in quicksand, the human body is less dense than any quicksand and is thus not drawn or sucked beneath the surface as is sometimes popularly believed.

Other Word Forms

• quicksandy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of quicksand¹

First recorded in 1275–1325, quicksand is from the Middle English word qwykkesand. See quick, sand

Example Sentences

A man has been rescued from quicksand in Morecambe Bay, in what emergency teams described as a "close call" as the tide was "rapidly pushing in".

Read more on BBC

Munger believes “this is ultimately political quicksand and a redistricting war at the end of day is a loss to American voters.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

I had this idea 15 years ago, and the idea that everything was changing and it was quicksand under our feet was a little less prevalent back then.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

For the next eight years, as if submerging into quicksand, I sank deeper into debt.

Read more on Salon

So I know all too well that the hype is built on quicksand — specifically, a seven-decade history of failure.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ambush 
• bait 
• booby trap 
• device 
• net 
• pitfall 
• ploy 
• quagmire 
• ruse