sand

¹ American  

[sand] / sænd /

noun

1. the more or less fine debris of rocks, consisting of small, loose grains, often of quartz.

2. Usually sands. a tract or region composed principally of sand.

3. the sand or a grain of sand in an hourglass.

4. sands, moments of time or of one's life.

   At this stage of his career the sands are running out.

5. a light reddish- or brownish-yellow color.

6. Informal. courage; pluck.

7. sleeper.

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verb (used with object)

1. to smooth or polish with sand, sandpaper, or some other abrasive.

   to sand the ends of a board.

2. to sprinkle with or as if with sand.

   to sand an icy road.

3. to fill up with sand, as a harbor.

4. to add sand to.

   The mischievous child sanded the sugar.

idioms

1. draw a line in the sand, to set a limit; allow to go up to a point but no further.

Sand ² American  

[sand, sahnd] / sænd, sɑ̃d /

noun

1. George Lucile Aurore Dupin Dudevant, 1804–76, French novelist.

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sand. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. sandwich.

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sand ¹ British  

/ sænd /

noun

1. loose material consisting of rock or mineral grains, esp rounded grains of quartz, between 0.05 and 2 mm in diameter

2. (often plural) a sandy area, esp on the seashore or in a desert

3. 1. a greyish-yellow colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      sand upholstery

4. the grains of sandlike material in an hourglass

5. informal courage; grit

6. to put a stop to or a limit on

7. there is not much time left before death or the end

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verb

1. (tr) to smooth or polish the surface of with sandpaper or sand

   to sand a floor

2. (tr) to sprinkle or cover with or as if with sand; add sand to

3. to fill or cause to fill with sand

   the channel sanded up

Sand ² British  

/ sɑ̃d /

noun

1. George (ʒɔrʒ), pen name of Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin. 1804–76, French novelist, best known for such pastoral novels as La Mare au diable (1846) and François le Champi (1847–48) and for her works for women's rights to independence

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sand Scientific  

/ sănd /

1. A sedimentary material consisting of small, often rounded grains or particles of disintegrated rock, smaller than granules and larger than silt. The diameter of the particles ranges from 0.0625 to 2 mm. Although sand often consists of quartz, it can consist of any other mineral or rock fragment as well. Coral sand, for example, consists of limestone fragments.

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sand More Idioms  

1. see build on sand; hide one's head in the sand.

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Other Word Forms

• sandable adjective
• sandless adjective
• sandlike adjective
• unsanded adjective
• well-sanded adjective

Etymology

Origin of sand

before 900; Middle English (noun), Old English; cognate with German Sand, Old Norse sandr

Example Sentences

Upper rows sagged where damaged ones had lost their sand but the bluff was more intact.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

We spent a fabulous hour chatting about how he invented the modern sand wedge and about my golfing hero - Walter Hagen - being a contemporary of his.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

In wet winters, the valleys beyond town awaken in color as sand verbena, desert sunflower, evening primrose and pincushion gather in brief, luminous blooms across the desert floor.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

"For instance, one specimen looks a lot like the sand worm from Dune!"

From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026

I’m still not ready to return to the motel, so I go back down to the sand and just sit.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Related Words

• boldness
• courage
• derring-do
• determination
• fearlessness
• firmness
• fortitude
• gallantry
• grit
• heroism
• prowess
• tenacity