sand

¹ American  

[sand] / sænd /

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.

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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.

idioms

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

Sand ² American  

[sand, sahnd] / sænd, sɑ̃d /

noun

1. George Lucile Aurore Dupin Dudevant, 1804–76, French novelist.

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sand. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. sandwich.

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sand ¹ British  

/ 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. to put a stop to or a limit on

7. there is not much time left before death or the end

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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 British  

/ sɑ̃d /

noun

1. 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

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sand Scientific  

/ 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.

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sand More Idioms  

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

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Other Word Forms

• sandable adjective
• sandless adjective
• sandlike adjective
• unsanded adjective
• well-sanded adjective

Etymology

Origin of sand

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

Explanation

Sand is a substance that's made of tiny pieces of rock. The sand on some beaches is rough and pebbly, while other sand is smooth and soft. Either way, don't track it into the house. You can find sand on riverbanks, in flower beds, and in sandboxes, among many other places. Grains of sand are composed of rocks and coral that have been worn down over the years. As a verb, sand means "make smooth with sandpaper." There's also an old fashioned colloquial way to use this word, to mean "determination" or "grit." So you could say, "I'm impressed that she had the sand to travel in India by herself!"

Example Sentences

He backed that with a strong shot from the sand to 12 feet and with two putts for the title, took both of them.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

That has been exacerbated, she said, by homeowners’ failure to comply with terms of the original permit, which required them to provide sand to cover the geotubes—sand that would naturally erode and nourish other beaches.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

In wet winters, the valleys beyond town awaken in color as sand verbena, desert sunflower, evening primrose and pincushion gather in brief, luminous blooms across the desert floor.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

"For instance, one specimen looks a lot like the sand worm from Dune!"

From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026

A short beach of gray-white sand led to the cliff edge, which rose, a great face of variegated rock, for fifty feet.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Related Words

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