quicksand

American  

[kwik-sand] / ˈkwɪkˌsænd /

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.

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quicksand British  

/ ˈkwɪkˌsænd /

noun

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

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quicksand Scientific  

/ kwĭk′sănd′ /

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.

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Other Word Forms

• quicksandy adjective

Etymology

Origin of quicksand

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

Example Sentences

That early access gave Xi a front-row seat to the raw mechanics of military power—and taught him that the commander who doesn’t fully control the generals is a leader standing on quicksand.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

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".

From BBC • Oct. 26, 2025

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

From Salon • May 11, 2025

Throughout it all, as if battling to emerge from quicksand, Blanchett commits to Lilith’s fierce nonchalance.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 9, 2024

Drop everything if you find yourself in quicksand.

From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven

Related Words

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