sandal
1 Americannoun
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a shoe consisting of a sole of leather or other material fastened to the foot by thongs or straps.
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any of various low shoes or slippers.
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a light, low, rubber overshoe covering only the front part of a woman's high-heeled shoe.
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a band or strap that fastens a low shoe or slipper on the foot by passing over the instep or around the ankle.
verb (used with object)
noun
noun
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a light shoe consisting of a sole held on the foot by thongs, straps, etc
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a strap passing over the instep or around the ankle to keep a low shoe on the foot
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sandal1
1350–1400; < French sandale; replacing Middle English sandalie < Latin sandalium < Greek sandálion, equivalent to sándal ( on ) sandal + -ion diminutive suffix
Origin of sandal2
1350–1400; Middle English sandell < Medieval Latin sandalum < Late Greek sántalon, dissimilated variant of sándanon ≪ Sanskrit candana
Explanation
A sandal is a lightweight, open shoe that you're most likely to wear in the summer time. If you want your toes to show, buy some sandals! The difference between a sandal and a conventional shoe is that much of your feet are exposed when you wear sandals. Because of their strappy form, sandals are most common in the warmest months and the warmest climates. The oldest known sandals are about 10,000 years old, and the ancient Greeks commonly wore them. In fact, the word sandal comes from the Greek root sandalon.
Vocabulary lists containing sandal
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.
The clog and sandal company on Thursday posted a profit of $105.2 million, or $2.03 a share, compared with $368.9 million, or $6.36 a share, a year earlier.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026
This includes German firms such as BioNTech, which developed the first coronavirus vaccine to be approved in the West along with US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, and sandal maker Birkenstock.
From Barron's • Oct. 16, 2025
That a man in Seattle would have seen my feet, feet that I’m too afraid to show my acquaintances in the summertime, wrapped in a sandal.
From Salon • Aug. 13, 2025
"Customers want cheaper sandals and can't always tell the difference," said Rohit Balkrishna Gavali, a second-generation Kolhapuri sandal seller.
From BBC • Jul. 4, 2025
He was roused at daybreak by the usual rude dig of Gebu’s sandal in his ribs.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
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.
