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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

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 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

The bank has currently booked 6.588 billion rand pretax in provisions, suggesting the need for a top-up, the analysts write.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026

Around six years ago, it began offering outsourced services firms in the province 3,500 South African rand per month, as part of a subsidised training programme for around 4,500 people a year.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2025

At the time a CD writer cost as much as the rest of the computer, nearly 2,000 rand.

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

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

“We kind of made it into this joke thing, knowing it wouldn’t work, where me and Rand, my guitarist, were like, ‘let’s switch clothes.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

Rand assigned Greenspan a nickname, “the Undertaker,” given his serious manner and because he always wore a dark suit and tie.

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

Rowan did as he was told and Scythe Rand passed the tweaker all over his body like some sort of magic wand.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman