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to sand

34 3.5
To rub a surface with sandpaper to make it smooth
  • verb
  • /sænd/
: lijar
  • It wasn't too bad, but a little sanding will make it better.

And so those little, little edges have been sanded down a little bit, those little rough edges.

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Examples

  • It is time to sand and apply the finish.

  • His father looked up from sanding the neck of a new violin.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • - I can sand it down a little.

  • You let the woman sand the deck?

  • I started to sand the floors.

  • All we got to do is sand and paint the cabin, dude.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • If you have the glass cut to size, be sure to sand the edges to prevent cut fingers.

    Academic text (1994)
  • That way we can start sanding right away, sir.

  • I've spent so many hours sanding stuff flat on them.

  • I need to sand the tabletop to make it smooth for painting.

Synonyms

to scrape
vsto sand
93 1.2

To rub material off a surface with something hard or sharp

uses abrasive rubbing aimed at smoothing rather than cutting
to buff
vsto sand
26 4.4

To polish something by rubbing until it is smooth or shiny

cleans or evens surfaces using abrasive rubbing rather than shining
to grind down
vsto sand
10 6.1

Wear a surface away slowly by rubbing, or make someone very tired

is general smoothing often done by lighter manual rubbing
to sandblast
vsto sand
  • Specialized
5 6.7

To clean or shape a surface with a fast stream of sand

is manual rubbing rather than forceful blasting
to sand off
vsto sand
3 4.7

To remove the top layer of something by rubbing it with sandpaper

is gentler, focusing on smoothing or cleaning rather than heavy removal
to sandpaper
vsto sand
1 5.1

To rub a surface with rough paper to make it smooth

uses any abrasive material, not only abrasive paper
to sand the edge
vsto sand
1 4.9

To make a rough edge smooth by rubbing it with sandpaper

applies to whole surfaces, not just edges

Antonyms

1 4.2

To make a surface not smooth so it feels bumpy

Idioms

To set a clear limit that must not be crossed

to build on sand
  • Informal
3 7.6

To base a plan or belief on a weak foundation that will likely fail

to pound sand
  • Offensive
2 9.9

Tell someone to go away in a rude way

To ignore a problem instead of dealing with it

To try to do something that cannot be done

Phrasal Verbs

3 4.7

To remove the top layer of something by rubbing it with sandpaper

To make a rough edge smooth by rubbing it with sandpaper

to sand cast
  • Specialized
1 6.6

Make a metal object by pouring liquid metal into a sand mold

Compounds

15 3.2

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

8 3.3

A shallow pit filled with sand that makes golf shots harder

3 3.1

A long narrow strip of sand in water that shows above the water

2 6.7

A shark with sharp jagged teeth that lives in shallow water near the coast

sand wedge
  • Specialized
2 4.1

A golf club with a heavy angled head used to lift a ball out of sand

1 6.6

A small insect that bites people in warm places and can spread disease

1 5.6

A flat round sea animal with a hard shell that lives on sandy sea floors

1 5.4

A small jumping animal like a tiny flea that lives on sandy beaches

1 8.2

A large shark with sharp jagged teeth that lives in shallow water near the coast

1 7.2

A picture made by arranging fine colored sand on a flat surface

1 1.0

A small object children use to play with sand, like a bucket or shovel

1 8.6

A small snake that lives in sandy places and hides under loose sand

sand dollar
  • Neologism
1 6.8

Digital money issued by the Central Bank of The Bahamas and used as legal money in the Bahamas

1 6.1

A small thin fish that looks like an eel and buries itself in sand near the shore

1 8.6

A small wild cat that lives in hot, dry deserts and has thick fur on its paws

1 8.4

A small flat fish like a flounder from the west coast of North America eaten as food

1 8.6

A small animal like a mouse that lives in holes in the desert

quartz sand
  • Specialized
1 3.6

A type of sand made mostly of small hard clear rock grains used to make glass

rope of sand
  • Informal
1 9.9

Something that looks strong but is weak and cannot be trusted

1 6.2

A small lizard with sandy colour that lives in dry, sandy areas

1 8.9

A harmless North American snake with an upturned nose that flattens its head and sometimes plays dead when scared

1 7.0

A small swallow that migrates, nests in holes in sandy riverbanks and eats insects

1 9.1

A small silvery fish that swims in schools and burrows into sand

1 9.9

A small plant with groups of bright flowers that grows in sandy areas of western North America and Mexico

1 9.4

A pigeon-like bird with long pointed wings that lives in dry desert areas

1 6.3

A flat fish that lives on the Pacific coast of North America with sandy colouring

1 9.9

A highly venomous viper from northern Africa and southwestern Asia with a small horn above each eye

1 7.7

A small beach animal that jumps like a flea

A small desert plant with sticky leaves and bright pink trumpet flowers

1 9.2

A small shrub in North America that grows in sandy soil and has small dark fruit not good to eat

1 9.9

A large wingless grasshopper that digs holes in loose sand at night

sand dropseed
  • Specialized
1 8.6

A smooth grass that grows in sandy places in eastern North America

1 9.9

A low evergreen shrub with small white star-shaped flowers and shiny leaves

A low plant with groups of pink or white flowers that grows on sandy coasts

coarse-grained sand
  • Specialized
3.7

A type of sand with large rough grains used for building, gardening, or sports surfaces

A small snake with dark and light rings that moves through sand in the southwestern United States

A low plant with clusters of deep pink or white flowers that grows on sandy areas near the sea

sand badger
  • Philippine
9.9

A small animal with a pig-like snout that lives in sandy places and digs for insects

sand crack
  • Specialized
9.8

A vertical crack in a horse's hoof that can cause pain

9.2

A low evergreen bush with small white flowers, red berries, and leaves that turn red in autumn

A stiff bush that makes blackberries and grows in sandy soil in the eastern United States

A plant with claw-shaped seed pods that grows in sandy soil

9.9

Very small thin silver fish that burrows into sandy beaches and forms schools

9.0

A low plant that forms a mat on rocky ground with small pink flowers

9.4

A coastal plant with long leaves that helps hold sand dunes

8.8

A small bush with silver leaves that grows on dry grasslands

9.3

A grass-like plant that grows in sandy places like coastal dunes and helps hold the sand

8.2

A European plant related to onions that people grow for its edible stems and leaves used in cooking

sand tumor
  • Specialized
9.5

A growth in the coverings or inner parts of the brain that contains sandlike particles

9.9

A small low-growing weed with tiny pink flowers that grows on sandy ground

A small pale fish with eyes on stalks that buries itself in sand to ambush prey

sand-lime brick
  • Specialized
6.7

A type of brick made from sand and lime used for building

A plant that has sweet-smelling flowers and grows in sandy places like deserts

A small bush that makes sweet red, black, or yellow fruits you can eat

A plant on sand dunes with round clusters of yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers

How Smooth

to polish
65 1.1
to sand
34 3.5
to file
20 5.1

Surface Forms

sand infinitive
sanded past
sanded past participle
sanding present participle
sands third person singular

Etymology

The verb sand comes from the noun sand because people used sand to rub and smooth wood and other surfaces, so to sand something is 'to smooth' it with a rough material such as sandpaper.