1sand 
/ˈsænd/ noun
plural sands /ˈsænd/ noun 1 [noncount] : the very tiny, loose pieces of rock that cover beaches, deserts, etc.
▪ The beaches are covered with pinkish sand. ▪ a grain of sand ▪ I have sand in my shoe. — see also quicksand 2 a [noncount] : an area of sand
▪ The children are playing in the sand. ▪ She walked across the hot sand.
b sands [plural] literary : the beach or desert
▪ Tourists walked the sands. ▪ They journeyed across the (desert) sands.
▪ The beaches are covered with pinkish sand. ▪ a grain of sand ▪ I have sand in my shoe. — see also quicksand
▪ The children are playing in the sand. ▪ She walked across the hot sand.
b sands [plural] literary : the beach or desert
▪ Tourists walked the sands. ▪ They journeyed across the (desert) sands.
head in the sand — see 1head
shifting sands
— used to refer to changes that happen as time passes ▪ the shifting sands of war
the sands of time
— used to refer to the passage of time ▪ Many civilizations have been buried by the sands of time. [=many civilizations have been forgotten because of the passage of time]
