sandstone

American  

[sand-stohn] / ˈsændˌstoʊn /

noun

sandstones plural

1. a common sedimentary rock consisting of sand, usually quartz, cemented together by various substances, as silica, calcium carbonate, iron oxide, or clay.

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sandstone British  

/ ˈsændˌstəʊn /

noun

1. any of a group of common sedimentary rocks consisting of sand grains consolidated with such materials as quartz, haematite, and clay minerals: used widely in building

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sandstone Scientific  

/ sănd′stōn′ /

1. A medium-grained sedimentary rock consisting of fine to coarse sand-sized grains that have been either compacted or cemented together by a material such as silica, iron oxide, or calcium carbonate. Although sandstone usually consists primarily of quartz, it can also consist of other minerals, and it can vary in color from yellow or red to gray or brown.

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sandstone Cultural  

1. A sedimentary rock formed of sand-sized grains that have been either compacted or cemented together. Although sandstone usually consists primarily of quartz, it can also consist of other minerals.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sandstones
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sandstone

First recorded in 1660–70; sand + stone

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sandstone sandstones

In close proximity to the sandstone peaks of Zion National Park, St. George has a bustling downtown for travelers to return to after a day of hiking.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026

A rash of glass and steel towers surround 19th Century sandstone buildings left from when a hospital occupied the city centre site.

From BBC ● May 12, 2026

Not far from the education center is a short hike to Painted Rock, a protected site that includes Native pictographs on a horseshoe-shaped sandstone formation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026

Known as North America's most fertile source of dinosaur fossils, it contains massive deposits of mudstone, sandstone, and limestone from ancient rivers and floodplains.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 1, 2026

Not far above the creek bottom the ramp ends, and a crude staircase appears, chiseled into the soft sandstone by Mormon cattlemen nearly a century ago.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

More than 50 York sandstones are reported to have been taken from Grade II listed St George's Church in Tyldesley, Wigan, Greater Manchester, in the early hours of Thursday morning.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2025

Earth’s sands are often white and its sandstones are usually full of quartz because the mineral is common in granite and it’s very hard to degrade, so it builds up in sediments.

From National Geographic ● Oct. 12, 2023

It also found sandstones with coarse grains, which might have formed in a fast-flowing river.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 7, 2022

At Aniakchak, he is most interested in the gray mudstones and yellowish sandstones stacked on each other like layers of a cake.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 23, 2021

Their bodies worked rhythmically back and forth, and the sandstones produced a series of harsh, grating screeches that caused icy trickles to run down Ranofer’s spine and set his teeth to aching.

From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw