kitchen-sink

¹

[kich-uhn-singk]

adjective

1. marked by an indiscriminate and omnivorous use of elements.

   a kitchen-sink approach to moviemaking.

kitchen sink

²

noun

1. the final item imaginable on any extensive list of usually disparate items.

   He packed everything for his trip except the kitchen sink.

kitchen sink

noun

1. a sink in a kitchen for washing dishes, vegetables, etc

2. everything that can be conceived of

3. (modifier) denoting a type of drama or painting of the 1950s depicting the sordid aspects of domestic reality

Word History and Origins

Origin of kitchen-sink¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Origin of kitchen-sink²

1870–75, for literal sense

Example Sentences

The home secretary will be hoping her "throw the kitchen sink at it" approach gradually reduces arrivals and increases deportations.

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"My feet came off the floor and he pushed me over the kitchen sink."

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“Downside to estimates remains. Above all, we caution investors that the business has not yet had its ‘kitchen sink’ moment.”

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One morning last year, John Gladwin opened the cupboard under his kitchen sink and discovered a bag of soil he'd been storing there was torn to shreds.

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Jake Haro said he was giving the baby girl a bath in a kitchen sink and accidentally dropped her but a doctor’s report said the girl’s injuries did not fit that narrative.

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