dune

noun

ˈdün 

also ˈdyün

: a hill or ridge of sand piled up by the wind

dunelike

ˈdün-ˌlīk 

also ˈdyün-

adjective

Examples of dune in a Sentence

We wandered over the dunes.

Recent Examples on the Web

With the Atlantic providing the backdrop, horses roam freely along the dunes and grassy ruins of Georgia’s Cumberland Island National Seashore. — Judith Garrison, AJC.com, 5 Nov. 2026

Bond said the quarter-sized spider lives in fragmented coastal dunes from the Bay Area to Monterey, and compounds in its venom could have potential as painkillers or in pest control. — The Sacramento Bee Staff, Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2026

Around Tozeur, eclipse chasers can experience totality among the dunes of Mos Espa and the rocky Jundland Wastes, while on Djerba, locations used for Mos Eisley and Obi-Wan Kenobi's home will also briefly go dark. — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 3 Nov. 2026

The boys frolic in the sand, playfully wrestle with each other, and drive an orange camper van; some young women join the fun midway through, running across the dunes alongside the group. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from Old French, from Middle Dutch; akin to Old English dūn down — more at down

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing dune

• dune buggy
• sand dune

Rhymes for dune

• boon
• brune
• coon
• croon
• goon
• hewn
• hoon
• june
• loon
• moon
• noon
• poon

Kids Definition

dune

noun

ˈd(y)ün 

: a hill or ridge of sand piled up by the wind