sandpit

2 synonyms for sandpit, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — A hollow in the ground where sand is dug out.

Synonyms

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

sandpile sandbox

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

A hollow in the ground where sand is dug out.

“The old sandpit on the edge of the village has been disused for years.”

sandpile sandbox

2. noun

A shallow container filled with sand for children to play in.

“The toddlers spent the whole afternoon digging in the sandpit.”

sandbox

How to use sandpit

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

dig in the sandpit fill the sandpit play in the sandpit a disused sandpit

Sandpit is everyday, informal vocabulary rather than a technical term.

Etymology

Sandpit comes from Middle English forms such as sandpitte, which in turn go back to Old English sandpytt. That older word was simply a combination of sand and pytt, meaning pit, so the word has always described a pit of sand.

Full origin of sandpit →

Frequently asked questions

What is a sandpit?

A sandpit is either a pit dug to extract sand or, more commonly today, a container of sand for children to play in.

Is sandpit the same as sandbox?

For the children's play area, yes, sandpit and sandbox mean the same thing.

Where does the word sandpit come from?

It comes from Old English sandpytt, a straightforward joining of the words sand and pit.

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