build on sand

verb

To put something in an unstable position by failing to give it a secure foundation.

“Loveless marriages often end in divorce because they are built on sand.”

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Meanings

verbbuild on sand (third-person singular simple present builds on sand, present participle building on sand, simple past and past participle built on sand)

present singular third person builds on sand · participle present building on sand · participle past built on sand · past built on sand

  1. idiomaticTo put something in an unstable position by failing to give it a secure foundation.

    Loveless marriages often end in divorce because they are built on sand.

Origin

From the Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Builders in Matthew 7:24–27.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

build on sand. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/build%20on%20sand

MLA

“build on sand.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/build%20on%20sand. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “build on sand,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/build%20on%20sand.

Source: build on sand on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.