to sand off
3
4.7
- phrasal verb
- Before applying the new finish, you should sand off the old paint.
- brushed the sand off
Examples
-
You need to sand off the rough edges of the wood to make it smooth.
-
He carefully sanded off the scratches to restore the table's surface.
-
Getting sand off that runway, OK?
-
You better brush that sand off.
-
While you were buying doll dresses, I sanded off your Barbie's face.
Blog text (16) -
Trimble and Malin-Boyce decided to clear the sand off the entire grave before removing the first body.
Academic text (2009) -
They start to brush the sand off the bottle... and out come this genie, and the genie says...
Synonyms
129
2.7
Remove all covering or contents from an object so it is left bare
93
1.2
To rub material off a surface with something hard or sharp
34
3.5
To rub a surface with sandpaper to make it smooth
25
3.7
To remove clothes or a cover completely and quickly
10
6.1
Wear a surface away slowly by rubbing, or make someone very tired
8
3.4
Come off a surface when something moves against it
6
5.2
To rub a surface with a small rough tool to remove something
5
8.1
The surface wears away when something rubs or scrapes it
5
6.7
To clean or shape a surface with a fast stream of sand
1
3.4
Remove a mark by moving a cloth or hand over it many times
1
5.1
To rub a surface with rough paper to make it smooth
1
4.4
To make a surface smooth by moving something over it
1
4.9
To make a rough edge smooth by rubbing it with sandpaper
1
9.9
Wear away the surface of something by rubbing or scraping
To wear away a surface slowly by rubbing
How Much
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents: 'sand' (to smooth/remove a surface with sandpaper) combined with the particle 'off' (indicating removal) yields the sense 'remove the surface layer by sanding'. This verb + particle composition follows a common, transparent English pattern that a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to interpret.
Etymology
The verb sand off comes from the simple image of rubbing a surface with sand or sandpaper so the top layer is rubbed away and comes off. So, it means 'to remove the top layer of something by rubbing it with sandpaper'.