Sandals: Meaning, Types & Styling Tips

Meaning 1：open shoes (Sandals)

Sandals 🔊

/ˈsændlz/

Open shoes for warm weather, with straps that hold them on your feet.

Leather sandals resting on sunny beach sand

open shoes 🔊

➕

/ˈəʊpən ʃuːz/

Light, open-toed shoes worn in warm weather, typically consisting of a sole held to the foot by straps.

📁 Category：Fashion Trends 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'sandalium', from Greek 'sandalon', meaning a kind of footwear.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of walking on 'sand' with 'als' (all sand) — you need sandals to protect your feet.

📖 Example

On her beach holiday, she kicked off her sandals and walked barefoot on the warm sand before putting them back on to visit the market. 🔊 On her beach holiday, she kicked off her sandals and walked barefoot on the warm sand before putting them back on to visit the market.

🔗 Collocations

leather sandals – sandals made of leather

beach sandals – casual sandals worn at the beach

strappy sandals – sandals with thin straps

🔄 Synonyms

flip-flops (n.) – casual open-toed sandals with a thong between the toes

clogs (n.) – heavy wooden or leather sandals with a thick sole

🚫 Antonyms

boots (n.) – warm, closed footwear covering the foot and often the ankle

sneakers (n.) – athletic closed shoes with rubber soles

🌱 Derivatives

sandal (n.) – a single sandal

sandaled (adj.) – wearing sandals

📖 Cultural Story

Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans wore sandals. In Roman times, they were simple functional footwear. Today, they are popular casual summer shoes.