sandstorm

American  

[sand-stawrm] / ˈsændˌstɔrm /

noun

Meteorology.

• sandstorms
  plural

1. an occurrence of strong winds, especially in a desert, that pick up and carry sand, as from dunes, and typically move along in a series of leaps, effecting the process of saltation.

   Our plan to film on location in Dubai was thwarted by a week of unusually persistent sandstorms.

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sandstorm British  

/ ˈsændˌstɔːm /

noun

1. a strong wind that whips up clouds of sand, esp in a desert

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sandstorm Scientific  

/ sănd′stôrm′ /

1. A strong wind that carries clouds of sand and dust through the air. Most of the particles in a sandstorm are between 0.08 and 1 mm (0.0032 and 0.04 inches) in size. Sandstorms usually are limited to within 3 m (10 ft) of the ground, rarely getting more than 15 m (49 ft) high. They develop in desert areas where loose sand can be stirred up by wind. Most sandstorms occur during the day when the Earth's surface heats up and dissipate at night as it cools.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sandstorms
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of sandstorm

First recorded in 1765–75; sand + storm

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sandstorm sandstorms

Exhausted Afghans cross the border from Iran in a sandstorm, leaving behind a country in the grip of war to return to a homeland that is battered by conflict and humanitarian crisis.

From Barron's ● Mar. 11, 2026

More than a thousand people have been left with respiratory problems after a sandstorm swept across Iraq's central and southern parts of the country, health officials said.

From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2025

In 2013, the band played through a blinding sandstorm.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2024

Early Thursday, a sandstorm rolled through Niamey, where many businesses remained closed, adding to the sense of uncertainty.

From New York Times ● Jul. 27, 2023

Another valuable first-week-of-internment lesson: Take a shower at night so you don’t feel like you’re sleeping in a sandstorm.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

After the success of her 2007 vintage, Gao dedicated herself full time to her winery, eventually moving the family vineyard just east of the Helan mountain, where vines are protected from sandstorms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

They are coastal flooding, river flooding, drought, tropical storms, heat waves -- at least three days above a high temperature threshold, which varies by country -- extreme heat, wildfires and sandstorms.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

The phenomenon isn’t new — sandstorms from North Africa have shrouded Britain, Greece and Spain in the past — but the event led to remarkable scenes around the Acropolis and in other parts of Athens.

From New York Times ● Apr. 24, 2024

“Are we going to be going through sandstorms for a while?”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2023

The spring dust storms of the llano continued, and I heard many grown-ups blame the harsh winter and the sandstorms of spring on the new bomb that had been made to end the war.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya

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