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

• entanglement
• mesh(es)
• morass
• net
• noose
• quagmire
• snare
• tanglement
• toil(s)
• trap
• web

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

However, these systems become organizational quicksand in volatile environments where exceptions become the rule. —Nate Bennett, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025

From sticky asphalt graves to dinosaur-eating quicksand, these sites reveal how nature sometimes sets its own snares, and how life—on a mass scale—meets its end. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025

Lawsuits piling up from unions and states underscore the legal quicksand Musk has stepped into. California cannot afford such recklessness. —Zac Townsend, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2025

True educational opportunity requires not just access to loans, but a system that doesn't trap families in financial quicksand for generations. —Alison Griffin, Forbes, 3 Mar. 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