quicksand

[ kwik-sand ]

noun

1. a bed of soft or loose sand saturated with water and having considerable depth, yielding under weight and therefore tending to suck down any object resting on its surface.

quicksand

/ ˈkwɪkˌsænd /

noun

1. a deep mass of loose wet sand that submerges anything on top of it

quicksand

/ kwĭk′sănd′ /

1. A deep bed of loose, smoothly rounded sand grains, saturated with water and forming a soft, shifting mass that yields easily to pressure and tends to engulf objects resting on its surface. Although it is possible for a person to drown while mired in quicksand, the human body is less dense than any quicksand and is thus not drawn or sucked beneath the surface as is sometimes popularly believed.

Other Word Forms

• quicksandy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of quicksand¹

First recorded in 1275–1325, quicksand is from the Middle English word qwykkesand. See quick, sand

Example Sentences

Newcastle could, and should, have added more as they simply over-powered a Liverpool team who looked like they were running in quicksand, this loss compounding the midweek Champions League exit against PSG on penalties.

From BBC

“Being swallowed by snow as if sinking in quicksand is not intrinsic in snowboarding,” the lawsuit said.

From Los Angeles Times

Disney’s retrenchment comes nearly three years after it found itself sinking in political quicksand.

From Los Angeles Times

I was stuck in quicksand, and he helped pull me out.

From Los Angeles Times

Liquefaction occurs when shaking from an earthquake effectively turns the land into quicksand.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ambush
• bait
• booby trap
• device
• net
• pitfall
• ploy
• quagmire
• ruse