sandbag

[sand-bag]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sandbag ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a bag filled with sand, used in fortification, as ballast, etc.

such a bag used as a weapon.

verb (used with object), sand·bagged, sand·bag·ging.

to furnish with sandbags.

to hit or stun with a sandbag.

Informal.

to set upon violently; attack from or as if from ambush.
to coerce or intimidate, as by threats: The election committee was sandbagged into nominating the officers for a second term.
to thwart or cause to fail or be rejected, especially surreptitiously or without warning: He sandbagged our proposal with his snide remarks to the boss.

Poker.to deceive (one or more opponents) into remaining in the pot by refraining from betting on a strong hand, then raising the bet in a later round.
Informal.to gain an advantage over (one or more competitors) by concealing one's abilities or other strengths early in a game or other competitive activity.
Informal.to gain an advantage by concealing or downplaying the strengths of (something): companies that sandbag their earnings estimates and then easily beat them to make everyone happy.

verb (used without object), sand·bagged, sand·bag·ging.

Poker.to sandbag one or more opponents.
Informal.to sandbag an opponent or competitor: guys that sandbag and fall back a little in the first race to get a better starting spot in the second.

Origin of sandbag

First recorded in 1580–90; sand + bag

Related formssand·bag·ger, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for sandbagged

hinder, obstruct, discourage, prohibit, forbid, suppress, outlaw, stymie, restrain, curb, impede, constrain, inhibit, thwart, retard, stonewall, interfere, stall, obscure, hamper

Examples from the Web for sandbagged

Contemporary Examples of sandbagged

Housing starts, which had been sandbagged by poor weather, leapt sharply.
The U.S. Economy Had a Hiccup, Not a Heart Attack, This Year
Daniel Gross
May 29, 2014
The Gallup Economic Confidence Index was sandbagged by the October government shutdown and debt-ceiling brinkmanship.
All Retailers Want for Christmas Is More Shoppers
Daniel Gross
December 2, 2013
He made a highly illiquid bet on LightSquared, a wireless broadband company, that has sandbagged his fund and reputation.
In ‘Arbitrage,’ Richard Gere Shows How the Price Is Right
Daniel Gross
September 13, 2012

Historical Examples of sandbagged

“I thought he was dead when I saw him go down like he was sandbagged,” said the boy.
Vistas of New York
Brander Matthews
He might if he went to Chinatown and got sandbagged or something like that.
Three Young Ranchmen
Ralph Bonehill
Ive been sandbagged and robbed, and evidently sold to you for a sailor, which I am not.
An Oregon Girl
Alfred Ernest Rice
I'll be sandbagged and robbed if I go back without any for the other fellows.
More Tish
Mary Roberts Rinehart
I shouldn't be surprised if she sandbagged him and left him lying on the beach.
Cad Metti, The Female Detective Strategist
Harlan Page Halsey

British Dictionary definitions for sandbagged

sandbag

noun

a sack filled with sand used for protection against gunfire, floodwater, etc, or as ballast in a balloon, ship, etc

a bag filled with sand and used as a weapon

verb -bags, -bagging or -bagged (tr)

to protect or strengthen with sandbags

to hit with or as if with a sandbag

finance to obstruct (an unwelcome takeover bid) by prolonging talks in the hope that an acceptable bidder will come forward

Derived Formssandbagger, noun

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

Word Origin and History for sandbagged

sandbag

1580s, from sand (n.) + bag (n.).

sandbag

1860, "furnish with sandbags," from sandbag (n.). Meaning "pretend weakness," 1970s perhaps is extended from poker-playing sense of "refrain from raising at the first opportunity in hopes of raising more steeply later" (1940), which perhaps is from sandbagger in the sense of "bully or ruffian who uses a sandbag as a weapon to knock his intended victim unconscious" (1882). Hence "to fell or stun with a blow from a sandbag" (1887). Related: Sandbagged; sandbagging.