quicksand

B2 Topic:Nature & Landscape

US /ˈkwɪkˌsænd/ UK /ˈkwɪkˌsænd/ See IPA manual

Freq #21712

Meanings

1

noun
loose, water-saturated sand that appears firm but gives way under weight and can trap people or objects

The guide tested the riverbank with a pole before crossing the quicksand.
2

noun
a difficult or dangerous situation that gradually traps someone and becomes harder to escape

Each new loan pulled the company deeper into financial quicksand.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · loose, water-saturated sand... sinking sand

2 noun · a difficult or dangerous... trap morass snare

Opposites

solid groundsecurity

Word family

Derived forms quicksandlikequicksandy

Related forms sand bog morass

Etymology

From Middle English quyksande and Old English cwecesand, a compound of quick in its older sense "alive or moving" + sand. The name describes sand that shifts or seems to move beneath weight; the figurative sense extends that entangling instability to dangerous situations.

Topics

Nature & Landscape

External links

# quicksand

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈkwɪkˌsænd/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkwɪkˌsænd/
**Frequency rank:** 21712

## Meanings
1. loose, water-saturated sand that appears firm but gives way under weight and can trap people or objects
2. a difficult or dangerous situation that gradually traps someone and becomes harder to escape

## Examples
- The guide tested the riverbank with a pole before crossing the quicksand.
- Each new loan pulled the company deeper into financial quicksand.

## Synonyms
- sinking sand
- trap
- morass
- snare

## Antonyms
- solid ground
- security

## Derived Forms
- quicksandlike
- quicksandy

## Related Forms
- sand
- bog
- morass

## Etymology
From Middle English quyksande and Old English cwecesand, a compound of quick in its older sense "alive or moving" + sand. The name describes sand that shifts or seems to move beneath weight; the figurative sense extends that entangling instability to dangerous situations.

## Topics
- Nature & Landscape

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