dune

[ doon, dyoon ]

/ dun, dyun /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for dune on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of dune

1780–90; <French, Old French <Middle Dutch dūna; cognate with down³

Words nearby dune

Dundee cake, dunder, dunderhead, Dundonian, dundrearies, dune, dune buggy, Dunedin, duneland, Dunfermline, dun fly

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dune in a sentence

Hike the dunes along five designated trails, or continue your road trip along the Dunes Drive, an eight-mile roadway that takes you into the heart of the dunes.
4 Awesome Winter Road Trips to National Parks|Megan Michelson|February 11, 2021|Outside Online
It’s the slimmest of margins, but an experienced driver can take you into the air for a few wild seconds where you can see the top of the next dune and look down at the trough below.
The Strange Allure of a Flight to Nowhere (and Other Places We're Desperate to Go)|Susanna Schrobsdorff|February 7, 2021|Time
At the time, the 35-year-old West Virginian was freelancing for “Sunday Morning,” and the CBS show aired a handful of his “On the Trail” segments from the field — and petrified forest, sand dunes, active volcano, etc.
Tips for visiting U.S. national parks from someone who visited them all|Andrea Sachs|December 17, 2020|Washington Post
In Gearhart, James trudged out to Strawberry Knoll, walked across the dunes and onto the beach.
To Find Hope in American Cooking, James Beard Looked to the West Coast|John Birdsall|October 2, 2020|Eater

Located in the middle of Great Sand Dunes National Park, Star Dune is the tallest dune in North America.
I Tried to Climb the Largest Sand Dune in North America|Emily Pennington|September 22, 2020|Outside Online
We lugged the beach stuff onto the beach, avoiding anything that resembled a dune.
Why I Hate The Beach|P. J. O’Rourke|July 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He even says in the documentary that he never read Dune; someone told him it was fantastic.
‘Jodorowsky’s Dune’ and the Allure of the Unmade Masterpiece|Caryn James|March 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The idea was more fashionable in 1975, when Alejandro Jodorowsky was planning his version of the sci-fi novel Dune.
‘Jodorowsky’s Dune’ and the Allure of the Unmade Masterpiece|Caryn James|March 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The whole dune area in Wainscott is washed away and the water came up to Main Street.
Hamptons Residents Reel as Superstorm Sandy Recedes|Emily J. Weitz|October 31, 2012|DAILY BEAST
They climbed another dune, and came upon the great gray sea at low tide.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
And another five minutes, perhaps another ten, had slipped by before Tony's head reappeared above a neighbouring dune.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
The dune rose in a Wave of glittering yellow sand, drowning them from head to foot.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
We were unco gleg to win hame when a' this was dune, an' after steekin' the door, to sit an' birsle oor taes at the bit blaze.
Penelope's Experiences in Scotland|Kate Douglas Wiggin
As this joyless impossibility flitted across my mind, I rounded a bleak sand-dune.
In Search of the Unknown|Robert W. Chambers

British Dictionary definitions for dune

dune

/ (djuːn) /

noun

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

Word Origin for dune

C18: via Old French from Middle Dutch dūne; see down ³

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for dune

dune

[ dōōn ]

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. See more at barchan dune draa longitudinal dune seif dune transverse dune.

dune

Origin of dune

Words nearby dune

Words related to dune

How to use dune in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dune

Word Origin for dune

Scientific definitions for dune