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.

---

sandstorm British  

/ ˈsændˌstɔːm /

noun

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

---

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.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sandstorms
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sandstorm

First recorded in 1765–75; sand + storm

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

“Kidnap, sand trap, sandstorm, life-form,” says the navigator.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

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

Deep in Iraq's southern desert, bulldozers and earthmovers spread layers of moist clay over sand dunes as part of a broader effort to fight increasingly frequent sandstorms.

From Barron's ● Dec. 28, 2025

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 undercarriage of the rover is taller than any of the rocks around here, and the hills are gently sloping affairs, smoothed by eons of sandstorms.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir