the more or less fine debris of rocks, consisting of small, loose grains, often of quartz.
Usually sands. a tract or region composed principally of sand.
the sand or a grain of sand in an hourglass.
sands, moments of time or of one's life.
At this stage of his career the sands are running out.
a light reddish- or brownish-yellow color.
Informal. courage; pluck.
to smooth or polish with sand, sandpaper, or some other abrasive.
to sand the ends of a board.
to sprinkle with or as if with sand.
to sand an icy road.
to fill up with sand, as a harbor.
to add sand to.
The mischievous child sanded the sugar.
loose material consisting of rock or mineral grains, esp rounded grains of quartz, between 0.05 and 2 mm in diameter
(often plural) a sandy area, esp on the seashore or in a desert
a greyish-yellow colour
( as adjective )
sand upholstery
the grains of sandlike material in an hourglass
informal courage; grit
to put a stop to or a limit on
there is not much time left before death or the end
(tr) to smooth or polish the surface of with sandpaper or sand
to sand a floor
(tr) to sprinkle or cover with or as if with sand; add sand to
to fill or cause to fill with sand
the channel sanded up
before 900; Middle English (noun), Old English; cognate with German Sand, Old Norse sandr
Sand is a substance that's made of tiny pieces of rock. The sand on some beaches is rough and pebbly, while other sand is smooth and soft. Either way, don't track it into the house. You can find sand on riverbanks, in flower beds, and in sandboxes, among many other places. Grains of sand are composed of rocks and coral that have been worn down over the years. As a verb, sand means "make smooth with sandpaper." There's also an old fashioned colloquial way to use this word, to mean "determination" or "grit." So you could say, "I'm impressed that she had the sand to travel in India by herself!"
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It won’t help if you put your head in the sand.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 9, 2026
Minks also prey on ground-nesting birds such as snipe, lapwing and waterfowl, as well as kingfishers and sand martins.
From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026
Beach communities have long struggled with the balance between letting people enjoy the sand and preventing things from getting out of hand.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 5, 2026
High-energy lasers are degraded by atmospheric conditions — rain, fog, sand and smoke all scatter and absorb the beam, reducing effective range and time on target.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 29, 2026
“Small dragons—but so many they could cover the sand, and, like the sea lions, they will fight bravely to save their island.”
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
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.
