sand 1 of 2

noun

ˈsand How to pronounce sand (audio)
Definition of sandnext
as in beach
often sands plural the usually sandy or gravelly land bordering a body of water we went for a moonlight walk on the sands

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

sand

2 of 2

verb

as in to rub
to make smooth by friction painstakingly sanded down the wooden floors of the old house

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sand
Noun
The deaths occur in the shadows of the area’s thriving tourism industry for foreigners and locals along the Indian Ocean’s white sands. — ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026 The beach valet will set you up in comfy yellow chairs under a sun umbrella and lend the kids sand toys. — Allison Tibaldi, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
Verb
But everything around it needed to be sculpted, sanded and polished by hand. — John Lauritsen, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026 Compared to the more flawed Sherlock Holmes or James Bond — two other literary heroes whose various screen iterations have often, albeit not always, sanded down their complexities — Reacher is barely a character at all. — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sand
  1. beach
  2. rub
  3. file
  4. polish
  5. grind
Noun
  • Thankfully, there is a fleet of golf carts available to whisk you up from the beach to your room, making this more accessible for travelers with low mobility.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Federal and local officials are investigating after a banner plane crashed into the water off a popular Florida beach on Thursday morning.
    — Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of beach
Verb
  • If the bracelet and watch rub against each other, scratches can occur very quickly.
    — Larissa Ratschkowski, Glamour, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Rubbing Alcohol Head to the drug store for a bottle of 70% isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol to clean windows.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of rub
Verb
  • Thirteen days before Morissette’s lawsuit, Urinov filed her own claim against the singer in London’s King Bench Division, which handles cases of defamation, misuse of private information, data protection, and harassment by publication.
    — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Woods’ attorney, Douglas Duncan, filed a document with Martin County Court on Tuesday calling for a change of plea hearing on Wednesday in front of Judge Darren Steele.
    — Bob Harkins, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of file
Verb
  • Don’t polish the life out of it before anyone gets to see it.
    — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Some jobs that previously relied on hand craftsmanship but can now be automated made the top 10, including patternmakers and grinding and polishing workers.
    — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of polish
Verb
  • The stock spent the fall of 2025 grinding higher along the rising 50-day, then broke into a completely different gear in the spring.
    — Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Finance ministers and central bank officials of G20 countries convene in Asheville, North Carolina on Monday and Tuesday as the US-Iran war grinds into its sixth month, raising inflation expectations and keeping energy prices elevated.
    — Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of grind

Browse Nearby Words

sanctums
sand
sandbag
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sand. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on sand

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sand

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All