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.

See Examples For:

sandworm

He missed the sandworm scene in the first “Dune” film.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

He finished his opening monologue nearly 20 minutes later with a song-and-dance number featuring a piano-playing sandworm from “Dune” and a dancing Deadpool.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2025

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

In the “Dune” movies, a gigantic sandworm can rise from the desert and devour soldiers and military vehicles in its gaping maw.

From New York Times ● Mar. 15, 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 Henry Edward Crampton

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