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Glite Dictionary
sandhopper

sandhopper

9.9
A small animal like a tiny shrimp that hops on beaches
  • noun
  • /ˈsændˌhɑːpər/
translation icon : salta arena
  • At the beach, I watched a small sandhopper jump from one grain of sand to another.

Examples

  • Children collected tiny sandhoppers in their buckets while playing near the shoreline.

  • The sandhopper quickly scurried away when the tide began to rise.

  • ♪ ♪ And the little sandhopper said, "My oh my"...

    Meet the Feebles (1989)

  • ♪ Funny little sandhopper basking in the sun...

    Meet the Feebles (1989)

Synonyms

sand flea
vssandhopper
1 5.4

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

is more specifically an amphipod that hops in short quick jumps on ocean beaches
sand hopper
vssandhopper
7.7

A small beach animal that jumps like a flea

is written as a single word in modern usage
beach flea
vssandhopper
  • Specialized
7.4

A small animal that jumps like a flea and lives on sandy beaches

focuses on identity as a small amphipod crustacean

Surface Forms

sandhopper singular
sandhoppers plural

Morphology

sandhopper = sand + hopper (transparent) = sand + hopper

The compound 'sand' + 'hopper' directly describes a small jumping creature associated with sand, a straightforward composition for learners.

Etymology

Sandhopper is made of sand and hopper, like the hopper in grasshopper. The hopper part comes from the idea 'to hop' or 'jump', so a sandhopper is a small creature that 'hops' across the sand.