quicksand

noun

quick·​sand ˈkwik-ˌsand 

1

: sand readily yielding to pressure

especially : a deep mass of loose sand mixed with water into which heavy objects readily sink

2

: something that entraps or frustrates

lead poor people into consumerist quicksand

—Robert Wright

Synonyms

• entanglement
• mesh(es)
• morass
• net
• noose
• quagmire
• snare
• tanglement
• toil(s)
• trap
• web

Examples of quicksand in a Sentence

freed from the quicksands of war

mired in the quicksand of credit card debt

Recent Examples on the Web

The legal system is broken, and businesses can't take a chance on getting caught up in this quicksand. —Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025

The legal system is broken, and businesses can’t take a chance in getting caught up in this quicksand. —Tara Suter, The Hill, 6 Jan. 2025

Most of them had been birthed into tough luck and raised in the quicksand of rural poverty. —John Branch, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2024

That was the reason why he was surprisingly selected after the struggles of new opener Nathan McSweeney, who like the older Australian top-order batters had been mired in quicksand against Bumrah. —Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

quicksand

noun

quick·​sand ˈkwik-ˌsand 

: a deep mass of loose sand mixed with water into which heavy objects sink