Standard Lemma guide

sandbox

noun · verb · 12 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈsænd.bɒks/
  • General-American: /ˈsæn(d).bɑks/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S AE1 N D B AA2 K S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A children's play area consisting of a box filled with sand.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Canada, US

Examples

  • Her children were playing in the sandbox.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sandpit

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A box filled with sand that is shaped to form a mould for metal casting.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A container for sand or pounce, used historically before blotting paper.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

An animal's litter box.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A box carried on locomotives, from which sand runs onto the rails in front of the driving wheels, to prevent slipping.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: rail-transport, railways, transport

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

An isolated area where a program can be executed with a restricted portion of the resources available.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

Examples

  • Running a program in a sandbox can prevent it from doing any damage to the system.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A page on a wiki where users are free to experiment without destroying or damaging any legitimate content.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: wiki jargon

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

The Middle East.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, slang

Qualifier: usually "The Sandbox"

Topics: government, military, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To restrict (a program, etc.) by placing it in a sandbox.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

verb

Meaning 10

To brainstorm; to prototype.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, intransitive, transitive

Examples

  • Their team has been sandboxing some ideas recently.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

a plaything consisting of a pile of sand or a box filled with sand for children to play in

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sandpile, sandpit

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: plaything, toy

12

noun

Meaning 12

mold consisting of a box with sand shaped to mold metal

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mold, mould, cast

History

Etymology

From sand + box.

Across languages

Translations

104 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: صُنْدُوق رَمْل (ṣundūq raml) — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Arabic: صَنْدُوق رَمْل (ṣandūq raml) — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Armenian: ավազարկղ (avazarkġ) — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Belarusian: пясо́чніца (pjasóčnica) — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Bengali: বালুচর (balucor) — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Bulgarian: пя́съчник (pjásǎčnik) — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Catalan: sorrera — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Chinese Mandarin: 砂箱 (shāxiāng) — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Chuvash: хӑйӑр карти (hăjăr k̬art̬i) — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Czech: pískoviště — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Danish: sandkasse — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Dutch: zandbak — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Esperanto: sabloludejo — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Esperanto: sablokesto — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Finnish: hiekkalaatikko — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • French: bac à sable — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • French: carré de sable — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • German: Sandkasten — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Greek: αμμοδόχος (ammodóchos) — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Hungarian: homokozó — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Icelandic: sandkassi — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Ido: sabluyo — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Indonesian: bak pasir — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Irish: poll gainimh — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Italian: sabbionaia — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Italian: sabbiera — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Japanese: 砂場 (sunaba) — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Japanese: 砂箱 (sunabako) — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Kazakh: құмсалғыш (qūmsalğyş) — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Khmer: ប្រអប់ខ្សាច់ (brâʼâbkhsach) — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Korean: 사장 (sajang) — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Korean: 모래상자 (moraesangja) — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Latvian: smilšu kaste — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Lithuanian: smėlio dėžė — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Manx: kishtey geinnee — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sandkasse — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: sandkasse — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Occitan: clòt de sable — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Polish: piaskownica — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Portuguese: caixa de areia — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Romanian: groapă cu nisip — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Russian: песо́чница (pesóčnica) — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Slovak: pieskovisko — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Slovene: peskovnik — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Spanish: arenero — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Spanish: caja arenácea — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Spanish: caja arenosa — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Spanish: caja arenisca — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Swedish: sandlåda — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Tagalog: kahon ng buhangin — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Thai: กระบะทราย (grà-bà-saai) — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Ukrainian: пісо́чниця (pisóčnycja) — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Vietnamese: hộp cát — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Welsh: pwll tywod — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Yiddish: זאַמדקאַסטן (zamdkastn) — box with sand for children — see also sandpit
  • Finnish: muottikehys — box of sand for mould-making
  • Catalan: sorrera — container for sand or pounce, used for writing
  • Catalan: polsera — container for sand or pounce, used for writing
  • Spanish: arenillero — container for sand or pounce, used for writing
  • Spanish: salvadera — container for sand or pounce, used for writing
  • Yiddish: זעמדער (zemder) — container for sand or pounce, used for writing
  • Catalan: sorrera — rail transport: box from which sand runs onto the rails
  • Finnish: hiekoitussäiliö — rail transport: box from which sand runs onto the rails
  • Bulgarian: сандбокс (sandboks) — computing: isolated program execution area
  • Danish: sandkasse — computing: isolated program execution area
  • Finnish: hiekkalaatikko — computing: isolated program execution area
  • German: Sandbox — computing: isolated program execution area
  • Indonesian: bak pasir — computing: isolated program execution area
  • Italian: isolamento — computing: isolated program execution area
  • Japanese: サンドボックス (sandobokkusu) — computing: isolated program execution area
  • Korean: 샌드박스 (saendeubakseu) — computing: isolated program execution area
  • Polish: piaskownica — computing: isolated program execution area
  • Polish: obszar izolowany — computing: isolated program execution area
  • Serbo-Croatian: testno okruženje — computing: isolated program execution area
  • Spanish: zona de pruebas — computing: isolated program execution area
  • Spanish: [el] área de probaturas — computing: isolated program execution area
  • Ukrainian: пісо́чниця (pisóčnycja) — computing: isolated program execution area
  • Chinese Mandarin: 沙盒 (shāhé) — wiki sandbox
  • Czech: pískoviště — wiki sandbox
  • Danish: sandkasse — wiki sandbox
  • Dutch: zandbak — wiki sandbox
  • Finnish: hiekkalaatikko — wiki sandbox
  • French: bac à sable — wiki sandbox
  • German: Spielwiese — wiki sandbox
  • Greek: αμμοδοχείο (ammodocheío) — wiki sandbox
  • Hindi: प्रयोगपृष्ठ (prayogpŕṣṭh) — wiki sandbox
  • Icelandic: sandkassi — wiki sandbox
  • Irish: bosca gainimh — wiki sandbox
  • Japanese: サンドボックス (sando bokkusu) — wiki sandbox
  • Korean: 연습장 (yeonseupjang) — wiki sandbox
  • Latin: arenarium — wiki sandbox
  • Latin: harenarium — wiki sandbox
  • Polish: brudnopis — wiki sandbox
  • Portuguese: zona de testes — wiki sandbox
  • Romanian: cutie cu nisip — wiki sandbox
  • Russian: песо́чница (pesóčnica) — wiki sandbox
  • Slovak: pieskovisko — wiki sandbox
  • Lower Sorbian: grajkanišćo — wiki sandbox
  • Upper Sorbian: hrajkanišćo — wiki sandbox
  • Spanish: zona de pruebas — wiki sandbox
  • Swedish: sandlåda — wiki sandbox
  • Turkish: deneme tahtası — wiki sandbox
  • Ukrainian: пісо́чниця (pisóčnycja) — wiki sandbox
  • Welsh: pwll tywod — wiki sandbox