(in shoemaking) a strip of leather set in a shoe at the heel before the lifts are attached.
British Dialect.
a strip or long slice.
a border or margin.
shoemaking a leather strip put in the heel of a shoe before the lifts are put on
dialect
a strip or margin; border
a strip of cloth; selvage
before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch, German rand border, margin
1960–65; from Afrikaans, after The Rand ( def. ) (Witwatersrand), a major gold mining area
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A deep friendship with philosopher Ayn Rand in 1960s New York City helped cement his free-market thinking.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026
He became an active member of the libertarian salon surrounding anti-government writer and philosopher Ayn Rand.
From Barron's • Jun. 22, 2026
In 1952, Greenspan met the right-wing novelist and social philosopher Ayn Rand, whose views were to have a profound influence on him.
From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026
A 2020 report from the Rand Corporation shows that over the last 40 years, the very rich have disproportionately benefited from economic growth.
From Salon • Jun. 20, 2026
In the wake of the Tet Offensive, Rand sent him briefly to D.C. to join a group of consultants advising Clark Clifford, the new secretary of defense.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
