sand
gb/sˈænd/ us/sˈænd/
A1
Kiingereza
~ 2500
Maana
maana 0
Nomino
A1
entity
1
loose grains from rocks
Very small loose pieces of rock, often found on a beach or in the desert.
Muundo wa matumizi:
[sand] covers [a place]
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners sometimes confuse 'sand' with 'soil' or 'dirt', but sand refers specifically to tiny grains of rock, not general ground material.
Visawe
grit (Refers to small loose particles, but often smaller or rougher than sand.)
Vinyume
rock (Rock is solid and large, the opposite of sand’s loose, tiny grains.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
grain of sand
|desert sand
|wet sand
|sand dunes
|white sand
Mada
nature
|geography
|construction
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- The children built a castle out of sand.
- The beach was covered with soft white sand.
- Wind blew the sand into my eyes.
- Sand can get very hot under the sun.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- I see sand on the beach.
- The sand is warm.
- We play in the sand.
- Sand is on my shoes.
Kitenzi
B1
action
2
smooth with abrasive
To make something smooth by rubbing it with special paper or another rough thing.
Muundo wa matumizi:
to sand [something]
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners sometimes confuse 'sand' as a verb with spreading actual sand; here it means smoothing with abrasive material.
Visawe
polish (Polish can also mean to make smooth and shiny, but often involves finer finishing than sanding.)
Vinyume
scratch (Scratching makes a surface rougher instead of smoother.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
sand the wood
|sand down
|sand smooth
Mada
crafts
|construction
|work
|daily_life
Mifano
- You need to sand the table before painting it.
- He spent the afternoon sanding the floorboards.
- Sand the edges until they are smooth.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- I will sand the chair.
- He sands the wood.
- We sand the door before we paint it.
Nomino
C1
property
3
courage or grit
The ability to keep going when things are hard.
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners may not know this figurative meaning and think it refers only to beach sand.
Visawe
grit (Very close in meaning but slightly more common in modern use for determination.)
Vinyume
cowardice (Lack of courage or determination.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
show sand
|have the sand to
Mada
emotions
|personality
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- She showed real sand during the crisis.
- It takes sand to stand up to them.
- He doesn't have the sand to finish the job.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- She has much sand.
- It takes sand to win.
- He shows sand in hard times.
Sarufi
Umbo la kamusi
sand
IPA
GB/sˈænd/
US/sˈænd/
Silabi na mkazo
sand (silabi 1)
Stress on 1st syllable (sand)
Maumbo ya neno
Noun
- Base: sand
- Plural: sand
Verb
- Base: sand
- 3rd Person Singular: sands
- Present Participle: sanding
- Past: sanded
Familia ya neno
Semi
draw a line in the sand
1/dɹˈɔ ə lˈaɪn ˈɪn ðə sˈænd/
idiom
set a firm boundary
To say clearly that you will not allow something to happen beyond a certain point.
Mifano
- The company drew a line in the sand over safety standards.
- Parents need to draw a line in the sand when it comes to bedtime.
shift sands
1/ʃˈɪft sˈændz/
idiom
literary
changing and unstable situation
When things change often and you cannot be sure what will happen.
Mifano
- Politics is like shifting sands—nothing stays the same for long.
- We had to adapt our plans to the shifting sands of the market.
bury your head in the sand
1/bˈɛɹi jˈʊɹ hˈɛd ˈɪn ðə sˈænd/
idiom
Avoid facing a problem
To ignore a problem and hope it will go away instead of dealing with it.
Mifano
- He just buries his head in the sand instead of dealing with his debts.
- You can't just bury your head in the sand when it comes to your debts.
- Stop burying your head in the sand and talk to her about it.
- She tends to bury her head in the sand whenever there is conflict at work.