noun
- a box or receptacle for holding sand, especially one large enough for children to play in.
- Computers. an environment in which software developers or editors can create and test new content, separate from other content in the project (often used attributively): sandbox web design; New features are tested and critiqued in the demo sandbox.
adjective
- Digital Technology. noting or relating to a genre of video game with a nonlinear structure that allows players to roam freely.
noun
- a container on a railway locomotive from which sand is released onto the rails to assist the traction
- a box with sand shaped for moulding metal
- a container of sand for small children to play in
- computing a protected environment in which an untrusted program may be run without affecting other parts of the system
n.also sand-box, 1570s as an instrument to sprinkle sand, from sand (n.) + box (n.1). From 1680s as “a box holding sand;” 1891 as a low-sided sand pit for children’s play.