sand

[ sand ]

/ sænd /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for sand on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

sleeper (def. 10).

verb (used with object)

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.

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

before 900; Middle English (noun), Old English; cognate with German Sand,Old Norse sandr

OTHER WORDS FROM sand

sand·a·ble, adjectivesandless, adjectivesandlike, adjectiveun·sand·ed, adjective

well-sanded, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH sand

sand , sediment, silt

Other definitions for sand (2 of 3)

Sand

[ sand; French sahnd ]

/ sænd; French sɑ̃d /

noun

George

[jawrj; French zhawrzh] /dʒɔrdʒ; French ʒɔrʒ/ Lucile Aurore Dupin Dudevant, 1804–76, French novelist.

Other definitions for sand (3 of 3)

sand.

abbreviation

sandwich.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

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 Post
It 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 Post
That’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 Post
Scripps 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 Diego

While 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 Chapman
Traction on grades up to 12% is easily secured by sanding the plank.
Motor Truck Logging Methods|Frederick Malcolm Knapp
There 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. Birge
The surfaces of metals may be changed with actual manipulation of the surface by frosting or sanding and plating.
Industrial Arts Design|William H. Varnum
After 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)

sand

/ (sænd) /

noun

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

verb

(tr) to smooth or polish the surface of with sandpaper or sandto sand a floor

(tr) to sprinkle or cover with or as if with sand; add sand to

to fill or cause to fill with sandthe channel sanded up

Derived forms of sand

sandlike, adjective

Word Origin for sand

Old English; related to Old Norse sandr, Old High German sant, Greek hamathos

British Dictionary definitions for sand (2 of 2)

Sand

/ (French sɑ̃d) /

noun

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

Medical definitions for sand

sand

[ sănd ]

Small, loose grains of worn or disintegrated rock.

Scientific definitions for sand

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.

Other Idioms and Phrases with sand

sand

see build on sand; hide one's head in the sand.

sand

Idioms about sand

Origin of sand

OTHER WORDS FROM sand

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH sand

Other definitions for sand (2 of 3)

Other definitions for sand (3 of 3)

Words related to sand

How to use sand in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sand (1 of 2)

Derived forms of sand

Word Origin for sand

British Dictionary definitions for sand (2 of 2)

Medical definitions for sand

Scientific definitions for sand

Other Idioms and Phrases with sand