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• rand
  rand

  noun

  (in shoemaking) a strip of leather set in a shoe at the heel before the lifts are attached.
• Rand
  Rand

  noun

  Ayn 1905–82, U.S. novelist and essayist, born in Russia.

rand

¹ American  

[rand] / rænd /

noun

1. (in shoemaking) a strip of leather set in a shoe at the heel before the lifts are attached.

2. British Dialect.

   1. a strip or long slice.

   2. a border or margin.

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verb (used with object)

1. to provide (footwear) with rands.

rand ² American  

[rand] / rænd /

noun

1. a coin and monetary unit of the Republic of South Africa, equal to 100 cents. R.

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Rand ³ American  

[rand] / rænd /

noun

1. Ayn 1905–82, U.S. novelist and essayist, born in Russia.

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rand ¹ British  

/ rænd /

noun

1. shoemaking a leather strip put in the heel of a shoe before the lifts are put on

2. dialect

   1. a strip or margin; border

   2. a strip of cloth; selvage

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Rand ² British  

/ rænd /

noun

1. short for Witwatersrand

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rand ³ British  

/ rɒnt, rænd /

noun

1. the standard monetary unit of the Republic of South Africa, divided into 100 cents

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Etymology

Origin of rand¹

before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch, German rand border, margin

Origin of rand²

1960–65; from Afrikaans, after The Rand ( def. ) (Witwatersrand), a major gold mining area

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rand Rand

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization increased 13% on a reported basis to 62.63 billion rand, while the corresponding margin grew to 37.4% from 36.5%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026

Analysts had expected revenue of 167.53 billion rand, according to the FactSet-provided consensus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026

The South African group has around 4% market share of the U.K. car-loan market, implying a cost of 364 million pounds, or 8.246 billion rand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026

Total customers rose 5.6% to 307.2 million, while free cash flow rose 345.5% to 26.9 billion South African rand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 2026

I had spent my last rand and had no fare to get home.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

So too does Wisconsin, whose senior U.S. senator, Ron Johnson, is an avid fan of anarcho-capitalist author Ayn Rand.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

In 2013, multiple media outlets accused Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul of plagiarizing in his speeches, newspaper column and his 2012 book from a variety of sources, including Wikipedia.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

Test your news knowledge: Who was brought before a Senate subcommittee this week after pages from his personal diary were released by Sen. Rand Paul?

From Slate ● Jul. 31, 2026

Referring to his dour mien and predilection for charcoal gray garb, Rand called him her “undertaker.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026

Rand, who was marking a row of boxes she had just closed off with her initial, looked up at Maya and smiled.

From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio