C. W. Ferguson
Did you know?
How much nuance is there in a bag of sand? Here’s the nitty-gritty: when sandbag was first established as a verb in the 1800s, it meant (quite understandably) “to bank, stop up, or weight with sandbags,” but since then it has taken on several figurative meanings, some more obvious than others. First came the simple (and decidedly unfriendly in application) metaphorical extension: “to hit or stun as if with a sandbag.” Less literal uses followed, including “to treat unfairly or harshly” and “to coerce by crude means.” By the mid-20th century, sandbag was being used by poker players to describe the act of pretending a strong hand is actually weak, in order to draw other players into raising the bet. This use of sandbag has since evolved to refer to a general strategy of misrepresenting one’s intentions or abilities in order to gain some sort of advantage.
Examples of sandbag in a Sentence
Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025
Joanne Hubble, a resident who does emergency planning coordination for Trabuco and other eastern Orange County canyon communities, told NBC Los Angeles officials hope the sandbags hold.
—Phil Helsel, NBC News, 13 Feb. 2025
Luke Smith, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
Rather than being an interesting new character to explore, Aiko’s existence sandbags large portions of the story for empty drama.
—Isaiah Colbert, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for sandbag
Cite this Entry
“Sandbag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sandbag. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share