Definition of Quicksand

1. Noun. A treacherous situation that tends to entrap and destroy.

Generic synonyms: Situation

2. Noun. A pit filled with loose wet sand into which objects are sucked down.
Generic synonyms: Cavity, Pit
Terms within: Sand

Definition of Quicksand

1. n. Sand easily moved or readily yielding to pressure; especially, a deep mass of loose or moving sand mixed with water, sometimes found at the mouth of a river or along some coasts, and very dangerous, from the difficulty of extricating a person who begins sinking into it.

Definition of Quicksand

1. Noun. Wet sand that things readily sink in, often found near rivers or coasts ¹

2. Noun. Anything that pulls one down or buries one metaphorically ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Quicksand

1. [n -S]

Medical Definition of Quicksand

1. Sand easily moved or readily yielding to pressure; especially, a deep mass of loose or moving sand mixed with water, sometimes found at the mouth of a river or along some coasts, and very dangerous, from the difficulty of extricating a person who begins sinking into it. "Life hath quicksands, Life hath snares!" (Longfellow) Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Quicksand

quickfire
quickfrozen
quickhatch
quickhatches
quickies
quicklier
quicklime
quicklimed
quicklimes
quickliming
quickly
quickness
quicknesses
quicks
quicksand
quicksandlike
quicksands
quicksandy
quicksave
quicksaved
quicksaves
quicksaving
quickset
quickset(a)
quicksets
quicksilver
quicksilver(a)
quicksilvered
quicksilvering

Literary usage of Quicksand

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Waterworks Handbook by Alfred Douglas Flinn (1916)
"Quicksand. In the coastal-plain from Cape Cod westward and southward along the border of the continent the most serious difficulty is caused by quicksand, ..."

2. Waterworks Handbook by Alfred Douglas Flinn, Robert Spurr Weston, Clinton Lathrop Bogert (1916)
"Quicksand. In the coastal-plain from Cape Cod westward and southward along the border of the continent the most serious difficulty is caused by quicksand, ..."

3. Journal by Iron and Steel Institute (1893)
"Shaft-Sinking through Quicksand. ... system of sinking through quicksand has been devised, ... quicksand ..."

4. Journal by Iron and Steel Institute (1892)
"Shaft - Sinking in Quicksand.—A description has been published* of some of the new shaft sinkings in the North of France. The first of these is the No. ..."

5. Journal by Iron and Steel Institute (1889)
"Sinking through Quicksand.—The Chapin Mining Company of Iron Mountain, Michigan, in sinking a shaft struck a bed of quicksand at a depth of 15 feet, ..."

6. Tunneling: A Practical Treatise by Charles Prelini (1912)
"Single-track railway tunnels have been constructed through quicksand in several ... 109— Sketch Showing Construction of Roof Strutting Quicksand Method. ..."

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