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sandcastle

sandcastle

7 1.0
A model of a castle made from wet sand on the beach
  • noun
  • /ˈsændˌkæsl/
translation icon : castillo de arena
  • The kids were building a sandcastle whose wet wall stretched to the ocean's edge.
  • build sandcastles
  • make sandcastles
  • sandcastle contest

I go, let's build sandcastle skyscrapers right now.

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Examples

  • A day prior to the adult's sandcastle competition, a parade, pancake breakfast, and kids' sandcastle competition will be held.

    Blog text (21)
  • Peter dug holes and built sandcastles.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Now, Can you imagine walking up to this sandcastle on a beach?

  • Wanna make a sandcastle first?

  • Three kids made a sandcastle, looking up at him now and then.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Adults had obviously helped those kids build their elaborate sandcastle with its many towers.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Lovers splash in the surf, and families play along the shore, using coconut shells to shape sandcastle domes.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The camera jerked through scenes of Norma and Angela at the beach, making sandcastles, splashing in the gentle surf.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • When I was young, I would build sandcastles on the beach.

  • The kids were building a sandcastle whose wet wall stretched to the ocean's edge.

How Complex

sand painting
  • US
1 7.2
sandcastle
7 1.0
sandpile
1 1.7

Surface Forms

sandcastle singular
sandcastles plural

Morphology

sandcastle = sand + castle (transparent) = sand + castle

The meaning is directly derived from 'sand' + 'castle': a castle made of sand, which is immediately clear to learners.

Etymology

Sandcastle comes from the two simple words sand and castle. It means a small 'castle' made of 'sand', which is why we use it for the little forts children build at the beach.