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

/ 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

²

/ 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
   draw a line in the sand to put a stop to or a limit on
7. the sands are running out
   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

/ 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

Strong tidal currents there have since dumped several square miles worth of sand into the bay behind Fire Island, creating wide, shallow flats perfect for trying out the new platform.

From Popular-Science

Others are insisting the oil sands will remain the economic heart of the region for decades to come.

From Fortune

The coating allows moisture to stick and absorb to the sand.

From Singularity Hub 

So we cross-registered in the animation department at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design twice in our sophomore year, learning things like hand drawing with a light table, experimental sand animation, and digital animation.

From MIT Technology Review

Throw a grain of sand in the machinery and we have an outage like yesterday.

From Search Engine Land

There is only sand, a white ball, and a flag indicating the hole.

From The Daily Beast

When the game starts, there is only sand, a white ball, a flag indicating hole 1, and a “0” at the top of the screen.

From The Daily Beast

And there, the sand castle builder and tag player who loved her aunt more than science would be buried.

From The Daily Beast

Mr. Wynd said the shrinking process includes filling the head with hot sand and boiling it with herbs.

From The Daily Beast

The family had grown up dirt-poor, sharecropping the 20,000 acres of cotton that stretched out below Sand Mountain.

From The Daily Beast

Broken crocks should be strewn upon the tray, and on to this is heaped peaty soil mixed with sand.

From Project Gutenberg

You speak with about as little reflection as we might expect from one of those children down there playing in the sand.

From Project Gutenberg

Edna looked at her feet, and noticed the sand and slime between her brown toes.

From Project Gutenberg

The little faces shone like polished bronze; they held their hands out, their bare feet pattered in the sand.

From Project Gutenberg

Though built upon the sand, they still endured, and would continue to endure.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• clay
• coast
• dirt
• dust
• gravel
• land
• mud
• sand
• shore
• surface
• terrain
• turf