running sand

noun

Saturated sand which flows into an excavation or void due to water pressure.

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Meanings

nounrunning sand (uncountable)
  1. uncountablebusinessSaturated sand which flows into an excavation or void due to water pressure.

    During the construction of the viaduct, the sinking of the caissons in the river bed caused much difficulty to the engineer and contractors, as a bed of running sand was encountered; in consequence, the expenditure for these foundations proved almost prohibitive.

    1946 January and February, “Notes and News: Demolition of Rhydyfelin Viaduct”, in Railway Magazine, page 53
Cite this entry
APA

running sand. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/running%20sand

MLA

“running sand.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/running%20sand. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “running sand,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/running%20sand.

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