sandbox

[sand-boks]

noun

1. a box or receptacle for holding sand, especially one large enough for children to play in.

2. Computers.,  an environment in which software developers or editors can create and test new content, separate from other content in the project (often used attributively).

   sandbox web design;

   New features are tested and critiqued in the demo sandbox.

adjective

1. Digital Technology.,  noting or relating to a genre of video game with a nonlinear structure that allows players to roam freely.

sandbox

/ ˈsændˌbɒks /

noun

1. a container on a railway locomotive from which sand is released onto the rails to assist the traction

2. a box with sand shaped for moulding metal

3. a container of sand for small children to play in

4. computing a protected environment in which an untrusted program may be run without affecting other parts of the system

Word History and Origins

Origin of sandbox¹

First recorded in 1565–75; sand + box ¹

Example Sentences

Cash went from the folk-rock scene back to country, a smaller sandbox.

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Outside are nature trails, a “cretaceous” garden and a playground with a pterosaur-themed structure and a sandbox concealing replica dinosaur bones.

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“Here’s a place we can sandbox, and play with ideas, and see how we can push audiences in ways that aren’t expected,” says Evaristo.

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They love going “into” the sandbox, “around” the tree and “behind” the chair as they’ve headed out on missions, she said.

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Outside the Griffith Park pool, which is slated to replaced in the next couple of years, the children of two families played in the sandbox.

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