sandcastle
noun
sand·cas·tle
ˈsan(d)-ˌka-səl 
variants
or sand castle
: a small model of a castle or other structure that is made with sand on a beach
Ruth lay beside Piet unhappily, not quite ready to bask and beautify herself like a teenager, yet too old for sandcastles.—
John Updike
John Updike"What you want is a change of air. We will pop down together hand in hand this week-end to some seaside resort. You shall build sand castles, while I lie on the beach and read the paper."—P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. Wodehouse
Examples of sandcastle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Family-Friendly Portal will have a freshwater lagoon where visitors can swim, along with racing waterslides in a giant sandcastle, a splash pad with a shallow pool, beach loungers and more.
—Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2024
Their arguments directly challenged the central allure of MBL: the promise of eternal life for a quantum sandcastle.
—Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
Over the course of six days, blow-ins and natives alike took part in events like the sandcastle contest, the town crier competition, the talent show, the go-kart race, the pig race, and the Daft Raft Race—in which teams braved the open waves on homemade boats.
—Rebecca Panovka, Harper's Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024
Beach activities range from sandcastle building to surfing lessons.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 4 Mar. 2024
Come for the fiery sunsets; stay for the beach bites and Pier Punch served in a souvenir bucket perfect for shell collecting and sandcastle building.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 28 Feb. 2024
The imagery includes a half man-half caribou figure, a whale’s tail, flying turtles, coco trees, a sandcastle, and other objects related to the island.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2023
The beach was covered with hundreds of sandcastles, but only 11 had clues just below the sandcastle.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 4 Sep. 2021
But that whole life was gone in the fire, toppled like a sandcastle.
—Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2023
Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2024
Their arguments directly challenged the central allure of MBL: the promise of eternal life for a quantum sandcastle.
—Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
Over the course of six days, blow-ins and natives alike took part in events like the sandcastle contest, the town crier competition, the talent show, the go-kart race, the pig race, and the Daft Raft Race—in which teams braved the open waves on homemade boats.
—Rebecca Panovka, Harper's Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024
Beach activities range from sandcastle building to surfing lessons.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 4 Mar. 2024
Come for the fiery sunsets; stay for the beach bites and Pier Punch served in a souvenir bucket perfect for shell collecting and sandcastle building.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 28 Feb. 2024
The imagery includes a half man-half caribou figure, a whale’s tail, flying turtles, coco trees, a sandcastle, and other objects related to the island.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2023
The beach was covered with hundreds of sandcastles, but only 11 had clues just below the sandcastle.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 4 Sep. 2021
But that whole life was gone in the fire, toppled like a sandcastle.
—Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sandcastle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1854, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near sandcastle
Cite this Entry
“Sandcastle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sandcastle. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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