sandworm

American

[sand-wurm] / ˈsændˌwɜrm /

noun

any of several marine worms that live in sand.
clamworm.

sandworm British

/ ˈsændˌwɜːm /

noun

any of various polychaete worms that live in burrows on sandy shores, esp the lugworm

"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

Etymology

Origin of sandworm

First recorded in 1770–80; sand + worm

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Did your team have access to the designs from the “Dune” films, for example, for the sandworm we get to see in the finale?

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2024

Rory turns into sandworm fodder the second he admits his slimy MO, suggesting that the smarmy leech was beyond redemption.

From Salon • Sep. 9, 2024

But Goldman points to the teeny-tiny nematode, or roundworm, as a possible sandworm cousin.

From Slate • Mar. 8, 2024

The item is supposed to represent a giant sandworm, the beasts that slither under the desert planet Arrakis.

From New York Times • Mar. 3, 2024

Worms are represented in the minds of most people by the common earthworm or sandworm.

From The Doctrine of Evolution Its Basis and Its Scope by Crampton, Henry Edward

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023