C. W. Ferguson
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How much nuance is there in a bag of sand? Here’s the nitty-gritty: when sandbag was first established as a verb in the 1800s, it meant (quite understandably) “to bank, stop up, or weight with sandbags,” but since then it has taken on several figurative meanings, some more obvious than others. First came the simple (and decidedly unfriendly in application) metaphorical extension: “to hit or stun as if with a sandbag.” Less literal uses followed, including “to treat unfairly or harshly” and “to coerce by crude means.” By the mid-20th century, sandbag was being used by poker players to describe the act of pretending a strong hand is actually weak, in order to draw other players into raising the bet. This use of sandbag has since evolved to refer to a general strategy of misrepresenting one’s intentions or abilities in order to gain some sort of advantage.
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Examples of sandbag in a Sentence
Francine Kiefer, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Apr. 2024
As for neighboring Mississippi, more than 100,000 sandbags have been handed out to residents.
—Robert Shackelford, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sandbag 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sandbag.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Sandbag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sandbag. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
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