"build on sand" meaning in English

See build on sand in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: en-au-build on sand.ogg Forms: builds on sand [present, singular, third-person], building on sand [participle, present], built on sand [participle, past], built on sand [past]
Etymology: From the Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Builders in Matthew 7:24–27. Head templates: {{en-verb|build<,,built> on sand}} build on sand (third-person singular simple present builds on sand, present participle building on sand, simple past and past participle built on sand)
  1. (idiomatic) To put something in an unstable position by failing to give it a secure foundation. Tags: idiomatic
    Sense id: en-build_on_sand-en-verb-jZpvX2Qx Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries
{
  "etymology_text": "From the Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Builders in Matthew 7:24–27.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "builds on sand",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "building on sand",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "built on sand",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "built on sand",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "build<,,built> on sand"
      },
      "expansion": "build on sand (third-person singular simple present builds on sand, present participle building on sand, simple past and past participle built on sand)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Loveless marriages often end in divorce because they are built on sand.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To put something in an unstable position by failing to give it a secure foundation."
      ],
      "id": "en-build_on_sand-en-verb-jZpvX2Qx",
      "links": [
        [
          "unstable",
          "unstable"
        ],
        [
          "position",
          "position"
        ],
        [
          "secure",
          "secure"
        ],
        [
          "foundation",
          "foundation"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To put something in an unstable position by failing to give it a secure foundation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-build on sand.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/2b/En-au-build_on_sand.ogg/En-au-build_on_sand.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/En-au-build_on_sand.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "build on sand"
}
{
  "etymology_text": "From the Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Builders in Matthew 7:24–27.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "builds on sand",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "building on sand",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "built on sand",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "built on sand",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "build<,,built> on sand"
      },
      "expansion": "build on sand (third-person singular simple present builds on sand, present participle building on sand, simple past and past participle built on sand)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English verbs",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Loveless marriages often end in divorce because they are built on sand.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To put something in an unstable position by failing to give it a secure foundation."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "unstable",
          "unstable"
        ],
        [
          "position",
          "position"
        ],
        [
          "secure",
          "secure"
        ],
        [
          "foundation",
          "foundation"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To put something in an unstable position by failing to give it a secure foundation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-build on sand.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/2b/En-au-build_on_sand.ogg/En-au-build_on_sand.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/En-au-build_on_sand.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "build on sand"
}

Download raw JSONL data for build on sand meaning in English (1.6kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-10-02 using wiktextract (fbeafe8 and 7f03c9b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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