sunk
Americanverb
adjective
-
Informal. beyond help; done for; washed up.
If they catch you cheating, you're really sunk.
-
Nautical. (of a forecastle or poop) raised less than a full deck above the weather deck of a ship.
verb
adjective
Other Word Forms
- half-sunk adjective
- unsunk adjective
Etymology
Origin of sunk
First recorded in 1925–30 sunk for def. 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
South Korean giant Samsung is Vietnam's largest foreign corporate investor, having sunk more than $23 billion into the Southeast Asian country, according to the finance ministry.
From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026
"I don't think it's fully sunk in," he says.
From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026
Four of the Iranian navy’s primary surface combatants—including a Jamaran-class frigate—were likely sunk or crippled by March 5, according to Janes, an intelligence company specializing in military and national security analysis.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
Yet only last spring, the PCE inflation rate had sunk to a post-pandemic low of 2.3%.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026
“Quinzy” did not answer, for Edward Ashton had sunk into his own half-mad thoughts.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
