sand

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   A loose material of tiny rock or mineral grains that covers beaches and deserts.

   Grammar: No plural when it means the material: 'a pile of sand', not 'sands' in everyday use.

   Patterns

   • a grain of sand
   • covered in sand
   • sand and gravel

   The children played in the warm sand all afternoon.

   Wind blew sand across the empty road.

   Her shoes were full of sand after the walk on the beach.

2. 2nounpluralliterary

   An area of sandy beach or desert, often used in the plural in literary writing.

   Grammar: The plural 'sands' is used for stretches of beach or desert, especially in stories and poetry.

   Patterns

   • the sands of somewhere
   • on the sands

   We walked along the golden sands of the bay.

   The caravan crossed the burning sands for days.

   They built a castle on the wet sands near the pier.

3. 3verbtransitive

   To smooth or polish a surface by rubbing it with sand or sandpaper.

   Grammar: Takes an object: sand the wood, sand it down.

   Patterns

   • sand something
   • sand something down
   • sand something smooth

   He sanded the table before painting it.

   Sand the edges down so they feel smooth.

   She spent the morning sanding the old door frame.

Word forms

Common combinations

a grain of sand

A single grain of sand got into my eye.

sand dune

The sand dunes shift with every strong wind.

sand castle

The kids built a huge sand castle near the water.

sandpaper

Use fine sandpaper before the final coat of paint.

buried in sand

The old boat was half buried in sand.

Synonyms and how they differ

grit

Refers to coarser, sharper particles; 'sand' is finer and is the usual word for beaches and deserts.

gravel

Much larger stones than sand; use 'gravel' for paths and driveways, 'sand' for fine grains.

dust

Extremely fine particles that float in the air; sand grains are heavier and settle quickly.

Word family

sandy adjective

Covered with or containing sand, or like sand in texture.

sandpaper noun

Strong paper covered with sand or grit, used for smoothing surfaces.

sandbox noun

A shallow box filled with sand for children to play in.

sander noun

A tool or machine used for smoothing surfaces.

Commonly confused: sand or send? sand or sands?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “sand”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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