sandcastle

noun

sand·​cas·​tle ˈsan(d)-ˌka-səl 

variants or sand castle

: a small model of a castle or other structure that is made with sand on a beach

Ruth lay beside Piet unhappily, not quite ready to bask and beautify herself like a teenager, yet too old for sandcastles.

—John Updike

"What you want is a change of air. We will pop down together hand in hand this week-end to some seaside resort. You shall build sand castles, while I lie on the beach and read the paper."

—P. G. Wodehouse

Examples of sandcastle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For the youngest visitors, the Castle of Dreams—a two-story sandcastle complete with a winding slide and ambient sound—is a must. —Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 6 Jan. 2026

All are unified by a boardwalk that’s open to the public and lined with bike rentals, a taco shack, platforms for live music and a full-time professional sandcastle builder. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025

Afterward, spend the morning playing in the surf or building a sandcastle at any of the 10-plus beaches that are all part of the Treasure Coast’s 21 miles of white-sand sanctuary. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 8 Dec. 2025

Toddlers might take to the beach for some shell collecting or sandcastle building. —Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 22 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sandcastle

• castle
• facile
• gracile
• hassall
• hassle
• passel
• tassel
• vassal
• fluorouracil
• thiouracil
• forecastle
• uracil