sand

[ sand ]

/ sænd /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for sand on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

sleeper (def. 10).

verb (used with object)

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.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Idioms about sand

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

Origin of sand

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

OTHER WORDS FROM sand

sand·a·ble, adjectivesandless, adjectivesandlike, adjectiveun·sand·ed, adjective

well-sanded, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH sand

sand , sediment, silt

Words nearby sand

sanctum, sanctum sanctorum, Sanctus, Sanctus bell, sanctus turret, sand, Sandage, Sandakan, sandal, sandalfoot, sandalwood

Other definitions for sand (2 of 3)

Sand

[ sand; French sahnd ]

/ sænd; French sɑ̃d /

noun

George

[jawrj; French zhawrzh] /dʒɔrdʒ; French ʒɔrʒ/ Lucile Aurore Dupin Dudevant, 1804–76, French novelist.

Other definitions for sand (3 of 3)

sand.

abbreviation

sandwich.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use sand in a sentence

Strong tidal currents there have since dumped several square miles worth of sand into the bay behind Fire Island, creating wide, shallow flats perfect for trying out the new platform.
This motorized kayak can drive itself|By Nate Matthews/Outdoor Life|August 28, 2020|Popular-Science
Others are insisting the oil sands will remain the economic heart of the region for decades to come.
The oil sands triggered a heated global debate on our energy needs. Now, they could be a sign of what’s to come|kdunn6|August 20, 2020|Fortune
The coating allows moisture to stick and absorb to the sand.
A Norwegian Startup Is Turning Dry Deserts Into Fertile Cropland|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|August 19, 2020|Singularity Hub
So we cross-registered in the animation department at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design twice in our sophomore year, learning things like hand drawing with a light table, experimental sand animation, and digital animation.
Crafting our path|Tate Ryan-Mosley|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review

Throw a grain of sand in the machinery and we have an outage like yesterday.
Google Search bug caused by issue with its ‘indexing systems’|Barry Schwartz|August 11, 2020|Search Engine Land
There is only sand, a white ball, and a flag indicating the hole.
Lost For Thousands of Strokes: 'Desert Golfing' Is 'Angry Birds' as Modern Art|Alec Kubas-Meyer|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
When the game starts, there is only sand, a white ball, a flag indicating hole 1, and a “0” at the top of the screen.
Lost For Thousands of Strokes: 'Desert Golfing' Is 'Angry Birds' as Modern Art|Alec Kubas-Meyer|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And there, the sand castle builder and tag player who loved her aunt more than science would be buried.
11 Children Shot in Milwaukee, One in Her Grandpa's Lap|Michael Daly|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mr. Wynd said the shrinking process includes filling the head with hot sand and boiling it with herbs.
Dodo Bones and Kylie’s Poo: Inside London’s Strangest New Museum|Liza Foreman|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The family had grown up dirt-poor, sharecropping the 20,000 acres of cotton that stretched out below Sand Mountain.
Those Kansas City Blues: A Family History|Katie Baker|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Broken crocks should be strewn upon the tray, and on to this is heaped peaty soil mixed with sand.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
You speak with about as little reflection as we might expect from one of those children down there playing in the sand.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Edna looked at her feet, and noticed the sand and slime between her brown toes.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
The little faces shone like polished bronze; they held their hands out, their bare feet pattered in the sand.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
Though built upon the sand, they still endured, and would continue to endure.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood

British Dictionary definitions for sand (1 of 2)

sand

/ (sænd) /

noun

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

US informal courage; grit

draw a line in the sand to put a stop to or a limit on

the sands are running out there is not much time left before death or the end

verb

(tr) to smooth or polish the surface of with sandpaper or sandto sand a floor

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

to fill or cause to fill with sandthe channel sanded up

Derived forms of sand

sandlike, adjective

Word Origin for sand

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

British Dictionary definitions for sand (2 of 2)

Sand

/ (French sɑ̃d) /

noun

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

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

Medical definitions for sand

sand

[ sănd ]

Small, loose grains of worn or disintegrated rock.

Scientific definitions for sand

sand

[ sănd ]

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 Idioms and Phrases with sand

sand

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

sand

Idioms about sand

Origin of sand

OTHER WORDS FROM sand

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH sand

Words nearby sand

Other definitions for sand (2 of 3)

Other definitions for sand (3 of 3)

Words related to sand

How to use sand in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sand (1 of 2)

Derived forms of sand

Word Origin for sand

British Dictionary definitions for sand (2 of 2)

Medical definitions for sand

Scientific definitions for sand

Other Idioms and Phrases with sand