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dune

dune

69 2.7
A hill of sand that wind makes on a beach or in a desert
  • noun
  • /duːn/
translation icon : duna
  • Once we clear the escarpment and the great salt plains, we'll take the bikes over the dunes all the way.
  • sand dunes
  • beaches and dunes
  • coastal dunes

We've already mentioned going to the Long Dune and what happens in winter.

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Examples

  • The children ran up the steep dune to get a better view of the ocean.

  • Viewed from the sand dunes to the north, golden beach stretches as far as you can see.

    Academic text (1999)
  • - Just one more dune to go.

  • I want to take you guys out to the dunes tomorrow.

  • A good hunter always climbs the highest dune before his hunt.

  • I woke up early on our second day in paradise and went out to walk on the dunes.

  • Up from the beach lies an area of dunes, and beyond that a thick belt of jungle.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Hector curses quietly and looks out across the dunes, angry with himself.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Brisk desert winds often shift dunes slowly across hawk nesting areas.

    Academic text (1990)
  • The erosional phase of the cycle may completely eliminate beaches and dunes on undeveloped coasts.

    Academic text (1990)

Synonyms

sand dune
vsdune
14 3.2

A hill of sand that wind makes near a beach or in a desert

matches this meaning exactly but mentions lakes rather than broader water areas
sandhill
vsdune
3 3.8

A low hill made of loose sand often near coasts or in deserts

is a wind formed sand ridge rather than a plain sandy rise

Compounds

14 3.2

A hill of sand that wind makes near a beach or in a desert

7 4.4

A small open car with large tires for driving on sand

A very hairy plant with flowers that have no outer petals, native to the San Francisco Bay area

Riding a bicycle or motorcycle on sand dunes

A grass from Europe that grows on sand and holds dunes together

A plant that lives for many years with feathery leaves and small yellow flowers in sand dunes

seif dune
  • Specialized
9.9

A long narrow sand hill with a sharp top that runs with the wind in deserts like the Sahara

How Big

dune
69 2.7
ripple mark
  • Specialized
5.3

Surface Forms

dune singular
dunes plural

Etymology

Dune comes from an old Dutch word dūne meaning 'sand hill'. So a dune is really a 'hill of sand', which is why we use the word for the sandy hills by the sea and in deserts.