as in dunes
a raised area of sand with a top that is near or just above the surface of the water in an ocean, lake, or river
We walked out onto the sandbar at low tide.
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Recent Examples of sandbars
River shorelines and sandbars pose unseen dangers.
—
Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Rip currents are more likely to develop when a coastline is more complex, in terms of either the visible shore—a feature such as a jetty or a rocky point can trigger rip currents—or the underwater topography of sandbars that raise the ocean floor.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 19 Aug. 2025
By afternoon, the tide reveals hidden sandbars perfect for wading toward the horizon—where sea and sky melt in endless sapphire.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Rip currents are more likely to develop when a coastline is more complex, in terms of either the visible shore—a feature such as a jetty or a rocky point can trigger rip currents—or the underwater topography of sandbars that raise the ocean floor.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 19 Aug. 2025
By afternoon, the tide reveals hidden sandbars perfect for wading toward the horizon—where sea and sky melt in endless sapphire.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sandbars
Noun
-
There were some big bulls hanging out on the high ridges above the Yellowstone River.—
Jack Atcheson Sr. as told to Michael Hanback,
Outdoor Life,
11 Sep. 2025
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Off the shores of the island lie rainbow coral reefs, seagrass beds, and undersea ridges sheltering hundreds of species of fish, dugongs, and 15 species of dolphins and whales.—
M. Rajshekhar,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Family, friends and spectators line the embankments, looking down from pedestrian bridges and the underpasses, holding up signs and cheering.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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Scruton and his team had a weekend to remove the trees, mud, dirt and embankments.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Also of note is the Landsford Canal State Park in May or June, when the riverside is covered in rocky shoals spider lilies.—
Jennifer Prince,
Southern Living,
23 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sandbars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sandbars. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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