build on sand: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  Globalneutralliteral
  • To erect a structure on sandy ground, thereby creating an unstable or insecure physical foundation.

  Examples

  Beta

  • They decided to build on sand despite engineers’ warnings about the unstable foundation.

    Decidieron construir sobre arena a pesar de las advertencias de los ingenieros sobre la base inestable.

  • The workers carefully built the house on sand, using special techniques to improve stability.

    Los trabajadores construyeron cuidadosamente la casa sobre arena, usando técnicas especiales para mejorar la estabilidad.

  • Building on sand can cause serious structural problems if the soil is not properly compacted first.

    Construir sobre arena puede causar problemas estructurales serios si el suelo no se compacta adecuadamente primero.

  • They had to rebuild the foundation after realizing they had initially built on sand without proper support.

    Tuvieron que reconstruir los cimientos después de darse cuenta de que inicialmente habían construido sobre arena sin soporte adecuado.

• 2.

  Globalfigurativeformal
  • To base an argument, plan, belief, or enterprise on weak, unreliable, or unsound premises that are likely to lead to failure.

  Examples

  Beta

  • His entire business plan was built on sand and collapsed when investors saw the weak assumptions.

    Todo su plan de negocios estaba construido sobre arena y se derrumbó cuando los inversores vieron las suposiciones débiles.

  • We shouldn’t build on sand by basing our strategy on unreliable market data and wishful thinking.

    No deberíamos construir sobre arena basando nuestra estrategia en datos de mercado poco fiables y deseos ilusorios.

  • They built on sand by assuming customer loyalty without offering improvements or incentives.

    Construyeron sobre arena asumiendo la lealtad del cliente sin ofrecer mejoras o incentivos.