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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.

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

South Africa’s rand has surged 17% against the U.S. dollar over the last year as gold and platinum prices have risen on demand for safe-haven assets amid heightened geopolitical tensions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust have agreed to donate 100m rand each with immediate effect, while the government would make available 400m rand over the next three years, he said.

From BBC • Jul. 10, 2025

Big Boy asked for 220 rand for his services, but Locke refused to pay.

From BBC • Jul. 16, 2024

I sold my discs for 30 rand, around $3.

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

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.