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 Words From

• 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

“I feel possibility and I feel anger,” Hernandez said, glancing around the park, where the new playground she made possible a few months ago is still fenced off after a fire, and where hobbled and hunched-over people wander as if they’re sinking in quicksand, ghosts of their pre-addiction selves.

From Los Angeles Times

But if the governor can doom Amendment 4 by silencing speech now, he is unlikely to care that his intimidation tactics were built on constitutional quicksand.

From Slate

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

Affleck's spokesperson said, "I am not going to confirm anything about his personal life. We don't want to get dragged into quicksand. Everybody wants a war. It's not happening from our side."

From Salon

Related Words

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