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
Some have likened this to building a skyscraper on quicksand.
—Alexander Sudeykin, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
These moves chip away at the 188,000 pages bloating the Code of Federal Regulations, freeing businesses and families from bureaucratic quicksand.
—Clyde Wayne Crews Jr, Forbes.com, 25 June 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
Though admittedly macabre, each attempt — think plane crashes, elevator ambushes, and even death by quicksand — features trademark Andersonian humor and comical loopholes to Korda's safety, that, gruesome or not, can't help but make one smile.
—EW.com, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for quicksand
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Alexander Sudeykin, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
These moves chip away at the 188,000 pages bloating the Code of Federal Regulations, freeing businesses and families from bureaucratic quicksand.
—Clyde Wayne Crews Jr, Forbes.com, 25 June 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
Though admittedly macabre, each attempt — think plane crashes, elevator ambushes, and even death by quicksand — features trademark Andersonian humor and comical loopholes to Korda's safety, that, gruesome or not, can't help but make one smile.
—EW.com, 6 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 29 Jul. 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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