(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.
The South Africa-based telecommunications company—which is majority-owned by Vodafone Group VOD 1.43%increase; green up pointing triangle —raised its final dividend for the year ended March 31 by 21% to 4.05 rand a share.
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
Until the early 1980s, the South African rand was stronger than the U.S. dollar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 22, 2025
It now takes about 17 rand to buy one dollar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 22, 2025
My mom wrote to my gran, asking her to send the price of a train ticket, about thirty rand, to bring her home.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
Greenspan’s marriage was annulled amicably after a year, but his friendship with Rand lasted until her death in 1982.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
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
Mom kept a Rand McNally road atlas in the back of her car seat, so we had to stare at it anytime we drove anywhere.
From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon
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.
