sinking feeling, a

Idioms  

1. A sense of dread or apprehension, as in I had a sinking feeling that I'd forgotten my ticket. This expression employs sink in the sense of “become depressed,” a usage dating from the early 1600s.

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Example Sentences

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sinking feeling, a

I felt as if something had caught me by the stomach—inside: a sinking feeling, a feeling of nausea: and for a while I lay still.

From Men, Women and Guns by McNeile, H. C. (Herman Cyril)