sand
the more or less fine debris of rocks, consisting of small, loose grains, often of quartz.
Usually sands. a tract or region composed principally of sand.
the sand or a grain of sand in an hourglass.
sands, moments of time or of one's life: At this stage of his career the sands are running out.
a light reddish- or brownish-yellow color.
Informal. courage; pluck.
to smooth or polish with sand, sandpaper, or some other abrasive: to sand the ends of a board.
to sprinkle with or as if with sand: to sand an icy road.
to fill up with sand, as a harbor.
to add sand to: The mischievous child sanded the sugar.
Idioms about sand
draw a line in the sand, to set a limit; allow to go up to a point but no further.
Origin of sand
1Other words from sand
- sand·a·ble, adjective
- sandless, adjective
- sandlike, adjective
- un·sand·ed, adjective
- well-sanded, adjective
Words that may be confused with sand
Other definitions for Sand (2 of 3)
George [jawrj; French zhawrzh] /dʒɔrdʒ; French ʒɔrʒ/ Lucile Aurore Dupin Dudevant, 1804–76, French novelist.
Other definitions for sand. (3 of 3)
sandwich.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use sand in a sentence
She’s hanging back to help her co-guide, a 29-year-old Brit named Adam Rosenfeld, navigate the truck through the sand traps.
On mountain bikes in the Utah desert, a college reunion like no other | John Briley | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostIt lay there, its grey-pink tentacles spread on the sand, and the beachgoers who first saw it realized it was breathing.
Giant squid that washed ashore in South Africa is a rare glimpse of the deep-sea creature | Heather Djunga | November 10, 2020 | Washington PostThat’s the mix of ground minerals, sand, organic matter and nutrients needed to grow food.
Could astronauts grow plants in soil? Scientists hope ISS will help them get the dirt. | Lela Nargi | November 8, 2020 | Washington PostScripps Institution of Oceanography scientists are gathering specimens of marine life, rocks and sand this way, hoping what they find could save someone’s life.
Environment Report: San Diego’s Still Got Fossil Fuel Stock | MacKenzie Elmer | October 26, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoWhile some ants drowned, most stopped entering the containers and instead used grains of sand placed nearby to build structures leading from the inside of a container to outside of it.
Fire ants build little syphons out of sand to feed without drowning | Aayushi Pratap | October 20, 2020 | Science News
The discovery of that lonely sanding-place had had a concrete reward.
Unexplored Spain | Abel ChapmanTraction on grades up to 12% is easily secured by sanding the plank.
Motor Truck Logging Methods | Frederick Malcolm KnappThere were three methods of accomplishing this work, which in our camp were technically known as sanding, grassing and washing.
The Awakening of the Desert | Julius C. BirgeThe surfaces of metals may be changed with actual manipulation of the surface by frosting or sanding and plating.
Industrial Arts Design | William H. VarnumAfter sanding and assembling give the boat two coats of black or battle ship gray paint.
Toy Craft | Leon H. Baxter
British Dictionary definitions for sand (1 of 2)
/ (sænd) /
loose material consisting of rock or mineral grains, esp rounded grains of quartz, between 0.05 and 2 mm in diameter
(often plural) a sandy area, esp on the seashore or in a desert
a greyish-yellow colour
(as adjective): sand upholstery
the grains of sandlike material in an hourglass
US informal courage; grit
draw a line in the sand to put a stop to or a limit on
the sands are running out there is not much time left before death or the end
(tr) to smooth or polish the surface of with sandpaper or sand: to sand a floor
(tr) to sprinkle or cover with or as if with sand; add sand to
to fill or cause to fill with sand: the channel sanded up
Origin of sand
1Derived forms of sand
- sandlike, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for Sand (2 of 2)
/ (French sɑ̃d) /
George (ʒɔrʒ), pen name of Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin. 1804–76, French novelist, best known for such pastoral novels as La Mare au diable (1846) and François le Champi (1847–48) and for her works for women's rights to independence
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
Scientific definitions for sand
[ sănd ]
A sedimentary material consisting of small, often rounded grains or particles of disintegrated rock, smaller than granules and larger than silt. The diameter of the particles ranges from 0.0625 to 2 mm. Although sand often consists of quartz, it can consist of any other mineral or rock fragment as well. Coral sand, for example, consists of limestone fragments.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with sand
see build on sand; hide one's head in the sand.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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