sand

¹

[ sand ]

noun

1. the more or less fine debris of rocks, consisting of small, loose grains, often of quartz.
2. Usually sands. a tract or region composed principally of sand.
3. the sand or a grain of sand in an hourglass.
4. sands, moments of time or of one's life:

   At this stage of his career the sands are running out.

5. a light reddish- or brownish-yellow color.
6. Informal. courage; pluck.
7. sleeper ( def 10 ).

verb (used with object)

1. to smooth or polish with sand, sandpaper, or some other abrasive:

   to sand the ends of a board.

2. to sprinkle with or as if with sand:

   to sand an icy road.

3. to fill up with sand, as a harbor.
4. to add sand to:

   The mischievous child sanded the sugar.

Sand

²

[ sand; French sahnd ]

noun

1. George [jawrj, zhaw, r, zh] Lucile Aurore Dupin Dudevant, 1804–76, French novelist.

sand.

³

abbreviation for

1. sandwich.

sand

¹

/ sænd /

noun

1. loose material consisting of rock or mineral grains, esp rounded grains of quartz, between 0.05 and 2 mm in diameter
2. often plural a sandy area, esp on the seashore or in a desert
3. 1. a greyish-yellow colour
   2. ( as adjective )

      sand upholstery

4. the grains of sandlike material in an hourglass
5. informal.
   courage; grit
6. draw a line in the sand
   to put a stop to or a limit on
7. the sands are running out
   there is not much time left before death or the end

verb

1. tr to smooth or polish the surface of with sandpaper or sand

   to sand a floor

2. tr to sprinkle or cover with or as if with sand; add sand to
3. to fill or cause to fill with sand

   the channel sanded up

Sand

²

/ sɑ̃d /

noun

1. SandGeorge18041876FFrenchWRITING: novelist George (ʒɔrʒ), pen name of Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin. 1804–76, French novelist, best known for such pastoral novels as La Mare au diable (1846) and François le Champi (1847–48) and for her works for women's rights to independence

sand

/ sănd /

1. A sedimentary material consisting of small, often rounded grains or particles of disintegrated rock, smaller than granules and larger than silt. The diameter of the particles ranges from 0.0625 to 2 mm. Although sand often consists of quartz, it can consist of any other mineral or rock fragment as well. Coral sand, for example, consists of limestone fragments.

Derived Forms

• ˈsandˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• sanda·ble adjective
• sandless adjective
• sandlike adjective
• un·sanded adjective
• well-sanded adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sand¹

before 900; Middle English (noun), Old English; cognate with German Sand, Old Norse sandr

Word History and Origins

Origin of sand¹

Old English; related to Old Norse sandr, Old High German sant, Greek hamathos

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. draw a line in the sand, to set a limit; allow to go up to a point but no further.

More idioms and phrases containing sand

see build on sand ; hide one's head in the sand .

Example Sentences

And he also fears the Kw’tsán monument could curtail access to the heavily trafficked Glamis and Imperial sand dunes — even though they lie outside the envisioned boundaries — due to “spillover management effects.”

From Los Angeles Times

The debris, which can be as fine as a grain of sand, burns up with the friction as it hits the Earth's atmosphere.

From BBC

How often do you take walks with a loved one? — those things got sanded down.

From Los Angeles Times

He is very blond and buffed — not buff but, like sanded and polished.

From Los Angeles Times

Over the next three days, the Woolsey fire would cut a path of destruction through southeast Ventura County and the hills of Malibu, burning literally to the sand next to Pacific Coast Highway.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• boldness
• courage
• derring-do
• determination
• fearlessness
• firmness
• fortitude
• gallantry
• grit
• heroism
• prowess
• tenacity