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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.


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.


Rand 3 American  
[rand] / rænd /

noun

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


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

"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

Rand 2 British  
/ rænd /

noun

  1. short for Witwatersrand

"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

rand 3 British  
/ rɒnt, rænd /

noun

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

"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

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Investigations alleged that South African supplier Ren-Form grossly inflated prices and subsequently paid hundreds of millions of rand to a company linked to him.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

The company’s board declared a final dividend of 4.90 rand a share and an additional ordinary dividend of 9.55 rand a share, compared with a final dividend of 1.65 rand for fiscal 2025.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

Revenue rose to 167.65 billion rand from 152.23 billion rand, with growth driven by Egypt and the group’s international business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026

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

A regular CD in the store cost 100 to 150 rand.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

“I don’t think anyone will be surprised if there are no significant agreements,” said David Ochmanek, a senior researcher at Rand.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Now, the storied Rand Refinery is switching up its playbook.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

Founded in 1920, the Rand Refinery was established by gold producers upset about the cost of shipping gold to London for refining.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

That has the Rand Refinery looking to other African nations to source ASM gold it can turn into legitimate bars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

Each day was the same: a morning run with Scythe Rand, weight training with Scythe Chomsky, and a nutritionally precise breakfast prepared by a master chef.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

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