sandbag

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sandbag

/ˈsændˌbæɡ/ US

noun sandbags

A sturdy sack filled with sand, generally used in large numbers to make defensive walls against flooding, bullets, or shrapnel. Santa Cruz residents clear storm debris and stack sandbags near their homes on January 7.
A small bag filled with sand and used as a cudgel.
An engraver's leather cushion, etc.
A deceptive play whereby a player with a strong hand bets weakly or passively.
slang A bag of illicit drugs. Two young bruddas tryna eat off of music / But we used to eat off of pebs and the sandbags

verb sandbags · sandbagging · sandbagged

intransitive, transitive To construct a barrier of sandbags (around). We sandbagged the basement windows against the floodwaters.
transitive To strike (someone) with a sandbag or other object to disable or render unconscious.
figuratively, intransitive To conceal or misrepresent one's true position, potential, or intent in order to gain an advantage; (originally poker) to pretend to have a weak hand, as a strategy. Some felt that Roberts was sandbagging, because his mastery of the 250s wasn't really showing in practice or the heat.
Similar: downplay
figuratively, transitive To blindside; to deceive; to undermine. “Sandbagged” was used by George Bush in response to the charges of stiffing. “We feel we were sandbagged,” he said, repeating the slang verb used first by his New Hampshire campaign manager. Concurrently, Joe Scott wrote in his newsletter, “The Political Animal,” that Governor Jerry Brown was “sandb
intransitive, transitive To premake dishes (prepare them in advance) (intransitive); to premake (dishes) (transitive).
To pretend to drink alcohol early on so that, as the night draws on, one can drink everybody else "under the table".

Translations

Every language

noun a bag filled with sand

Español	saco de arena
한국어	모래주머니 moraejumeoni, 모래자루 moraejaru
日本語	土嚢 donō, 土のう donō
中文	沙袋 shādài
Português	saco de areia
Français	sac de sable
Deutsch	Sandsack
Italiano	sacchetto di sabbia
Русский	мешо́к с песко́м mešók s peskóm

verb to conceal or misrepresent one's true position

Español	remolonear
Português	esconder o jogo
Deutsch	tiefstapeln

verb to blindside or deceive

Deutsch	überrumpeln

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MLA

"sandbag." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sandbag. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

sandbag. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sandbag

Chicago

"sandbag." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sandbag.

BibTeX

@misc{sandbag_2026,
  title = {sandbag},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sandbag},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}