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
Robert WrightExamples 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 Little Calumet, just blocks from where Steagall used to live, had shores like quicksand from all the toxic sludge and the Grand Calumet River was one of the most polluted bodies of water emptying into Lake Michigan.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 15 Sep. 2025
But in recent years, psychologists, sociologists and concerned parents alike have noticed a growing number of young adults who seem caught in this adolescent quicksand — unable or unwilling to take the next step into adulthood.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Does TikTok go the Twitter-ian way of far-right quicksand pit?
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 9 July 2025
But the question of who’s going to kill or get killed ultimately proves less important than how their pasts have shaped these men — or rather trapped them, like quicksand.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for quicksand
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Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 15 Sep. 2025
But in recent years, psychologists, sociologists and concerned parents alike have noticed a growing number of young adults who seem caught in this adolescent quicksand — unable or unwilling to take the next step into adulthood.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Does TikTok go the Twitter-ian way of far-right quicksand pit?
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 9 July 2025
But the question of who’s going to kill or get killed ultimately proves less important than how their pasts have shaped these men — or rather trapped them, like quicksand.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for quicksand
Cite this Entry
“Quicksand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quicksand. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
quicksand
noun
quick·sand
ˈkwik-ˌsand
: a deep mass of loose sand mixed with water into which heavy objects sink
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