Meaning & use

sands

noun·Everyday

An area or expanse of loose sand, such as a beach or desert, or, figuratively, time passing.

See it in a sentence

They walked barefoot across the warm sands toward the water's edge.

The old poem reminds readers that the sands of time run out for everyone.

A note on using this word

The sands of time is a common figurative phrase referring to the passing of time, drawn from the image of sand falling in an hourglass.

Words with a similar meaning

shoredunes

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

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