as in dunes
a raised area of sand with a top that is near or just above the surface of the water in an ocean, lake, or river
We walked out onto the sandbar at low tide.
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Recent Examples of sandbars
The location of the shootout, near Falcones Cay, is known for shallow waters, sandbars and beaches.
—
Kara Fox, CNN Money, 26 Feb. 2026
Uneven sandbars lifted and then dropped us in a slow-motion, repetitive dance on the sediment floor.
—Richard Greenberg, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Pristine disappearing sandbars are also a huge draw, allowing visitors to walk on powdery white stretches in the remarkably clear waters as the tides roll out.
—Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 30 Jan. 2026
Waters off the point are treacherous, including colliding currents, shoals and sandbars.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 22 Jan. 2026
Guides such as Eggleston place observers on sandbars at least 150 feet from the charismatic carnivores.
—Susan Portnoy, AFAR Media, 3 Oct. 2025
One man aboard the boat knew how to navigate the mangroves and sandbars of the keys, and with the late summer sun beating down on the rafters, the boat pushed out feebly into the open ocean.
—Miriam Pensack, The Dial, 30 Sep. 2025
River shorelines and sandbars pose unseen dangers.
—Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Rip currents are more likely to develop when a coastline is more complex, in terms of either the visible shore—a feature such as a jetty or a rocky point can trigger rip currents—or the underwater topography of sandbars that raise the ocean floor.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 19 Aug. 2025
Kara Fox, CNN Money, 26 Feb. 2026
Uneven sandbars lifted and then dropped us in a slow-motion, repetitive dance on the sediment floor.
—Richard Greenberg, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Pristine disappearing sandbars are also a huge draw, allowing visitors to walk on powdery white stretches in the remarkably clear waters as the tides roll out.
—Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 30 Jan. 2026
Waters off the point are treacherous, including colliding currents, shoals and sandbars.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 22 Jan. 2026
Guides such as Eggleston place observers on sandbars at least 150 feet from the charismatic carnivores.
—Susan Portnoy, AFAR Media, 3 Oct. 2025
One man aboard the boat knew how to navigate the mangroves and sandbars of the keys, and with the late summer sun beating down on the rafters, the boat pushed out feebly into the open ocean.
—Miriam Pensack, The Dial, 30 Sep. 2025
River shorelines and sandbars pose unseen dangers.
—Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Rip currents are more likely to develop when a coastline is more complex, in terms of either the visible shore—a feature such as a jetty or a rocky point can trigger rip currents—or the underwater topography of sandbars that raise the ocean floor.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sandbars
Noun
-
Many travelers opt to take a four-wheeler down the Sand Highway, a one-way trail into a canyon on the boundary of the dunes, or on the South Boundary Trail, which winds along the eastern side of the main dune area.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Most nail artists use a clear gel with a thick consistency (Chue opts for the Aprés Builder Top Gelcoat) to create these designs, ranging from simple globs to translucent jelly ridges.—
Annie Blay-Tettey,
Allure,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Those persistent ridges of high pressure block out stormy weather and also mean the kind of heat that made March the hottest spring month in Bay Area history.—
Rick Hurd,
Mercury News,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In the wake of the 2007 settlement, tents began to appear on the sidewalks, freeway embankments, overpasses, underpasses, civic plazas and public spaces everywhere in Los Angeles.—
Susan Shelley,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The East River Residence, which is suspended on thin columns, stretches across the valley like a bridge between two embankments, letting the terrain flow underneath it like water.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As a result, the wide, shallow bay, with its lacework of shoals and basins, grows hot and hypersaline, killing seagrass, fueling algae blooms and hurting the economy of the Keys.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
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This private island property features just 22 one- and two-bedroom cottages and villas surrounded by sandy shoals and crystal-clear waters.—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sandbars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sandbars. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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