sand

¹

[sand]

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.

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.

Sand

²

[sand, sahnd]

noun

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

sand.

³

abbreviation

1. sandwich.

sand

¹

/ 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

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

/ 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

sand

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.

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sand¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sand¹

Old English; related to Old Norse sandr, Old High German sant, Greek hamathos

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

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

Example Sentences

At the camp, which is funded by a Sudanese businessman, hundreds of families sleep in nylon tents or on plastic mats laid across the sand.

Read more on Barron's

Every year, sea turtles emerge from nests on Florida's beaches and begin the difficult crawl from the sand to the sea -- a journey that plays a major role in whether they survive.

Read more on Science Daily

Masonry, metal girders and piles of sand are everywhere along the pavements.

Read more on Barron's

Defending the government's approach, she said the Budget process had taken place "on shifting sands", with a downgrade to productivity forecasts and "a very challenging global economic environment".

Read more on BBC

That matched its early-2025 low and was close to the perceived line in the sand for Japanese authorities at 160.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• boldness 
• courage 
• derring-do 
• determination 
• fearlessness www.thesaurus.com
• firmness www.thesaurus.com
• fortitude 
• gallantry 
• grit 
• heroism 
• prowess 
• tenacity