quicksand

noun

quick·​sand ˈkwik-ˌsand 

1

: sand readily yielding to pressure

especially : a deep mass of loose sand mixed with water into which heavy objects readily sink

2

: something that entraps or frustrates

… lead poor people into consumerist quicksand.

—Robert Wright

Synonyms of quicksand

• trap
• tangle
• quagmire
• labyrinth
• morass
• maze
• web
• entanglement
• noose
• snare

Examples of quicksand in a Sentence

freed from the quicksands of war

mired in the quicksand of credit card debt

Recent Examples on the Web

The best hope is that LaFleur did not impress Bidwill and GM Monti Ossenfort because of his coaching associations but with his ideas of how to get the organization out of competitive quicksand. —Doug Haller, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026

The result is a sector doing critical, often life-saving work while operating on financial quicksand. —Cat Ward, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

But the quicksand flowed back as soon as the backpacker shoveled it away, Marshall said. —CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025

Real quicksand is very different from the dramatic portrayals of Hollywood. —Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 10 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for quicksand

• armband
• backhand
• bandstand
• baseband
• broadband
• command
• cropland
• demand
• disband
• dreamland
• expand
• farmhand

Kids Definition

quicksand

noun

quick·​sand ˈkwik-ˌsand 

: a deep mass of loose sand mixed with water into which heavy objects sink