Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

sand martin

American  

noun

British.
  1. the bank swallow.


sand martin British  

noun

  1. a small brown European songbird, Riparia riparia, with white underparts: it nests in tunnels bored in sand, river banks, etc: family Hirundinidae (swallows and martins)

"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

Etymology

Origin of sand martin

First recorded in 1660–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

In “Homecomings,” Heaney describes returning home, where he watches a sand martin gambol along a riverbank.

From Washington Post Jan. 27, 2022

Most likely to be either a sand martin or house martin.

From The Guardian Jul. 16, 2010

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training