1. plural of sand; loose particles of rock or mineral matter
2. a sandy area or beach
3. time or life span
Usage: literary; often used in ‘sands of time’

Examples

• The children built castles in the sands at the beach.
• Hot desert sands stretched endlessly before them.
• We walked along the white sands of the tropical island.
• The hourglass measured time as the sands fell through.
• The shifting sands made it difficult to navigate.
• Oil was discovered beneath the tar sands.
• The sands of time have erased many ancient civilizations.