sandstone

American  

[sand-stohn] / ˈsændˌstoʊn /

noun

1. a common sedimentary rock consisting of sand, usually quartz, cemented together by various substances, as silica, calcium carbonate, iron oxide, or clay.

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sandstone British  

/ ˈsændˌstəʊn /

noun

1. any of a group of common sedimentary rocks consisting of sand grains consolidated with such materials as quartz, haematite, and clay minerals: used widely in building

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sandstone Scientific  

/ sănd′stōn′ /

1. A medium-grained sedimentary rock consisting of fine to coarse sand-sized grains that have been either compacted or cemented together by a material such as silica, iron oxide, or calcium carbonate. Although sandstone usually consists primarily of quartz, it can also consist of other minerals, and it can vary in color from yellow or red to gray or brown.

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sandstone Cultural  

1. A sedimentary rock formed of sand-sized grains that have been either compacted or cemented together. Although sandstone usually consists primarily of quartz, it can also consist of other minerals.

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Etymology

Origin of sandstone

First recorded in 1660–70; sand + stone

Example Sentences

Known as North America's most fertile source of dinosaur fossils, it contains massive deposits of mudstone, sandstone, and limestone from ancient rivers and floodplains.

From Science Daily • Feb. 1, 2026

The majestic sandstone villa on Madison Avenue that the company shared with the Archdiocese of New York, and the quaint house in its logo, conveyed a sense of noncorporate charm.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

Niscemi, home to some 25,000 people and built on sandstone and clay, suffered a landslide in the same area nearly 30 years ago, and residents said this week's disaster had been long in the making.

From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026

Not even Dickensian “A Christmas Carol” visitations by the specters of his father and an Indonesian business partner negotiating a project involving a sandstone reservoir with “significant extraction costs” diminish his concomitant guilt and chagrin.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2026

They walked west across the long mesa where the old ones had piled stones in circles, high above the flat sandstone mesa top far above the canyons and springs.

From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko