as in beach
the usually sandy or gravelly land bordering a body of water
we went for a moonlight walk on the sands
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in rubs
to make smooth by friction
painstakingly sanded down the wooden floors of the old house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sands
Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026
With Iceland’s titular black sands serving as the backdrop, the first season of the show followed Anita, a troubled police officer played by Aldis Amah Hamilton (The Valhalla Murders) who also co-writes the series.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 13 Apr. 2026
Humans weren’t the only ones hanging out on the sands of Miami Beach over the weekend.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
Crowds packed the white sands of Fort Lauderdale beach Saturday for day two of the three-day Tortuga Music Festival.
—Joan Murray, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
Explore pristine sands and secluded coves along Laguna's seven miles of coastline.
—Acacia Gabriel, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2026
The ’70s shocks also set off a search for oil outside the Middle East — Prudhoe Bay in Alaska, the North Sea fields off the coasts of the United Kingdom and Norway and Canada’s oil sands deposits.
—Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
The ’70s shocks also set off a search for oil outside the Middle East — Prudhoe Bay in Alaska, the North Sea fields off the coasts of the United Kingdom and Norway and Canada’s oil sands deposits.
—ABC News, 11 Apr. 2026
While the students enjoyed the shops of Disney Springs and the sands of Cocoa Beach, Kral and his team spent that Sunday and early Monday morning securing replacement instruments.
—Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2026
Dallas Morning News, 23 Feb. 2026
Chapman sands his board occasionally to remove this top layer of funk.
—Matt Fuchs, Time, 24 Nov. 2025
Noun
There were other, less elevated, reasons to watch women on the sands.
—Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026
With Iceland’s titular black sands serving as the backdrop, the first season of the show followed Anita, a troubled police officer played by Aldis Amah Hamilton (The Valhalla Murders) who also co-writes the series.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 13 Apr. 2026
Humans weren’t the only ones hanging out on the sands of Miami Beach over the weekend.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
Crowds packed the white sands of Fort Lauderdale beach Saturday for day two of the three-day Tortuga Music Festival.
—Joan Murray, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
Explore pristine sands and secluded coves along Laguna's seven miles of coastline.
—Acacia Gabriel, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2026
The ’70s shocks also set off a search for oil outside the Middle East — Prudhoe Bay in Alaska, the North Sea fields off the coasts of the United Kingdom and Norway and Canada’s oil sands deposits.
—Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
The ’70s shocks also set off a search for oil outside the Middle East — Prudhoe Bay in Alaska, the North Sea fields off the coasts of the United Kingdom and Norway and Canada’s oil sands deposits.
—ABC News, 11 Apr. 2026
While the students enjoyed the shops of Disney Springs and the sands of Cocoa Beach, Kral and his team spent that Sunday and early Monday morning securing replacement instruments.
—Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2026
Verb
Sawdust sprays as Matt Sams meticulously sands the edges of a balcony railing that will soon be affixed to the front of a house.
—Dallas Morning News, 23 Feb. 2026
Chapman sands his board occasionally to remove this top layer of funk.
—Matt Fuchs, Time, 24 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sands
Noun
-
People revel in the nostalgia of ten or twenty or thirty years ago by digging up old photos and posting them—photos from birthday parties or career milestones or from a moment spent sitting under the final sparks of daylight on a beach.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The tradition has carried on, however, as an unsanctioned event on the beach for decades, and has primarily been marketed to HBCU students in the southeast.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Give him lots of treats and belly rubs!—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
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It can be added to marinades, soups, sauces, rubs, and is often on the table to be added to whatever dish is being served.—
Heather Jones,
Verywell Health,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
After the play, Jules approaches Rue as the audience files out, following Jules' role in Rue's intervention.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Apr. 2026
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The first bill presented on Wednesday, SF 4706, would make mental health providers who perform conversion therapy on minors liable for damages if the child or a parent files a civil complaint against the provider.—
Dené K. Dryden,
Twin Cities,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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From there, Sharrow thins down its propeller to precise specification with a five-axis CNC machine and polishes it.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Their bestselling Regenerating Cleanser gently polishes away impurities and dullness to reveal a healthy-looking, radiant glow, clinically proven to make skin look brighter, smoother, more hydrated and pores look smaller.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Company executives often meet with clients at Wilson's Sandwich Shop, a Depression-era favorite that still cuts and grinds its hamburger in-house from local cattle.—
Dean Narciso,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
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While passengers, for the most part, do their best to extend common courtesy to airline staff, there’s one boarding habit that, unbeknownst to passengers, grinds the gears of flight attendants who are preparing for departure.—
Joey Skladany,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sands. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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