sink

American  

[singk] / sɪŋk /

verb (used without object)

• sinks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sunk,
  past participle,  past
• sank,
  past
• sinking
  present participle

1. to displace part of the volume of a supporting substance or object and become totally or partially submerged or enveloped; fall or descend into or below the surface or to the bottom (often followed by in orinto ).

   The battleship sank within two hours. His foot sank in the mud. Her head sinks into the pillows.

2. to fall, drop, or descend gradually to a lower level.

   The river sank two feet during the dry spell.

3. to settle or fall gradually, as a heavy structure.

   The tower is slowly sinking.

4. to fall or collapse slowly from weakness, fatigue, distress, etc..

   He gasped and sank to his knees.

5. to slope downward; dip.

   The field sinks toward the highway.

6. to go down toward or below the horizon.

   the sun sinks in the west.

7. to penetrate, permeate, or seep (usually followed by in orinto ).

   Wipe the oil off before it sinks into the wood.

8. to become engulfed or absorbed in or gradually to enter a state (usually followed by in orinto ).

   to sink into slumber.

9. to be or become deeply absorbed or involved in a mood or mental state (usually followed by in orinto ).

   sunk in thought. She sank into despair.

10. to pass or fall into some lower state, as of fortune, estimation, etc.; degenerate.

    to sink into poverty.

11. to decline or deteriorate in quality or worth.

12. to fail in physical strength or health.

13. to decrease in amount, extent, intensity, etc..

    The temperature sank to 30° at noon.

14. to become lower in volume, tone, or pitch.

    Her voice sank to a whisper.

15. to enter or permeate the mind; become known or understood (usually followed by in orinto ).

    He said it four times before the words really sank in.

16. to become concave; become hollow, as the cheeks.

17. to drop or fall gradually into a lower position.

    He sank down on the bench.

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verb (used with object)

• sinks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sunk,
  past participle,  past
• sank,
  past
• sinking
  present participle

1. to cause to become submerged or enveloped; force into or below the surface; cause to plunge in or down.

   The submarine sank the battleship. He sank his fist into the pillow.

2. to cause to fall, drop, or descend gradually.

3. to cause to penetrate.

   to sink an ax into a tree trunk.

4. to lower or depress the level of.

   They sank the roadway by five feet.

5. to bury, plant, or lay (a pipe, conduit, etc.) into or as if into the ground.

6. to dig, bore, or excavate (a hole, shaft, well, etc.).

7. to bring to a worse or lower state or status.

8. to bring to utter ruin or collapse.

   Drinking and gambling sank him completely.

9. to reduce in amount, extent, intensity, etc.

10. to lower in volume, tone, or pitch.

11. to suppress; ignore; omit.

12. to invest in the hope of making a profit or gaining some other return.

    He sank all his efforts into the business.

13. to lose (money) in an unfortunate investment, enterprise, etc.

14. Sports.

    1. to throw, shoot, hit, or propel (a ball) so that it goes through or into the basket, hole, pocket, etc..

       She sank the 10 ball into the side pocket.

    2. to execute (a stroke or throw) so that the ball goes through or into the basket, hole, pocket, etc..

       to sink a putt; to sink a free throw.

noun

• sinks
  plural

1. a basin or receptacle, as in a kitchen or laundry, usually connected with a water supply and drainage system, for washing dishes, clothing, etc.

2. a low-lying, poorly drained area where waters collect and sink into the ground or evaporate.

3. sinkhole.

4. a place of vice or corruption.

5. a drain or sewer.

6. a device or place for disposing of energy within a system, as a power-consuming device in an electrical circuit or a condenser in a steam engine.

7. any pond or pit for sewage or waste, as a cesspool or a pool for industrial wastes.

8. any natural process by which contaminants are removed from the atmosphere.

idioms

1. sink one's teeth into,

   1. to bite deeply or vigorously.

   2. to do or enter into with great enthusiasm, concentration, conviction, etc..

      to sink my teeth into solving the problem.

sink British  

/ sɪŋk /

verb

1. to descend or cause to descend, esp beneath the surface of a liquid or soft substance

2. (intr) to appear to move down towards or descend below the horizon

3. (intr) to slope downwards; dip

4. (intr; often foll by in or into) to pass into or gradually enter a specified lower state or condition

   to sink into apathy

5. to make or become lower in volume, pitch, etc

6. to make or become lower in value, price, etc

7. (intr) to become weaker in health, strength, etc

8. to decline or cause to decline in moral value, worth, etc

9. (intr) to seep or penetrate

10. (tr) to suppress or conceal

    he sank his worries in drink

11. (tr) to dig, cut, drill, bore, or excavate (a hole, shaft, etc)

12. (tr) to drive into the ground

    to sink a stake

13. (tr; usually foll by in or into)

    1. to invest (money)

    2. to lose (money) in an unwise or unfortunate investment

14. (tr) to pay (a debt)

15. (intr) to become hollow; cave in

    his cheeks had sunk during his illness

16. (tr) to hit, throw, or propel (a ball) into a hole, basket, pocket, etc

    he sank a 15-foot putt

17. informal (tr) to drink, esp quickly

    he sank three pints in half an hour

18. to take risks where the alternatives are loss and failure or security and success

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noun

1. a fixed basin, esp in a kitchen, made of stone, earthenware, metal, etc, used for washing

2. See sinkhole

3. another word for cesspool

4. a place of vice or corruption

5. an area of ground below that of the surrounding land, where water collects

6. physics a device or part of a system at which energy is removed from the system

   a heat sink

adjective

1. informal (of a housing estate or school) deprived or having low standards of achievement

sink Scientific  

/ sĭngk /

1. A part of the physical environment, or more generally any physical system, that absorbs some form of matter or energy. For example, a forest acts as a sink for carbon dioxide because it absorbs more of the gas in photosynthesis than it releases in respiration. Coral reefs are a long-lasting sink for carbon, which they sequester in their skeletons in the form of calcium carbonate.

2. Geology

   1. See playa

   2. See sinkhole

   3. A circular depression on the flank of a volcano, caused by the collapse of a volcanic wall.

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sink More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing sink

• desert a sinking ship
• enough to sink a ship
• everything but the kitchen sink
• heart sinks

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• half-sinking
  adjective
• nonsinkable
  adjective
• self-sinking
  adjective
• sinkable
  adjective
• sinklike
  adjective
• unsinkable
  adjective
• unsinking
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sinks
  plural

Participles

• sinking
  present
• sunk
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• sink
  simple
• sinks
  simple
• have sunk
  perfect
• has sunk
  perfect
• am sinking
  progressive
• are sinking
  progressive
• is sinking
  progressive
• have been sinking
  perfect progressive
• has been sinking
  perfect progressive

Past

• sank
  simple
• sunk
  simple
• had sunk
  perfect
• was sinking
  progressive
• were sinking
  progressive
• had been sinking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will sink
  simple
• will have sunk
  perfect
• will be sinking
  progressive
• will have been sinking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of sink

First recorded before 1000; (verb) Middle English sinken, Old English sincan; cognate with Dutch zinken, German sinken, Old Norse sǫkkva, Gothic singkwan; (noun) late Middle English: “cesspool,” derivative of the verb

Explanation

When things sink, they settle or drop to a lower level. If your kayak has a leak, it might fill with water and sink to the bottom of the lake. Things can sink, like a toy octopus descending to the bottom of the bathtub or the sun appearing to sink below the horizon. You can also deliberately sink something, as when you capsize your friend's remote controlled speedboat on purpose. When sink is a noun, it's the water basin in your kitchen or bathroom. The Old English root of both kinds of sink is sincan, "become submerged or go under," from a Germanic source.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sink sinks sank sunk sinking

Those diamonds could then sink through the interior, creating what scientists describe as "diamond rain."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026

Anymore Chambati, who had been a security official on the vessel, told AFP he had tried to hand out life jackets as the boat began to sink.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

Fraud convictions could sink the antiracism nonprofit, known for its courtroom wins against the Klan decades ago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

“There are so few books for guys that are literary. There’s a lot of John Grisham and Jack Reacher, but there’s not something literary that a guy can sink his teeth into,” Jeselnik says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

I rinse the stain in the sink and wring out the fabric, and then I stand under the hand dryer, angling my body so the hot air hits the wet part.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

It also featured Moroccan sinks, a pool and spa, a stone fire pit, and a barbecue area.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

As student enrollment sinks and schools struggle to keep up with costs, a pattern plays out, says Doug Moore, founder of Highland Group, a firm that specializes in closing failed colleges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

It’s the kind of derisive mutual beatdown that sinks relationships — or that can be the necessary overboard discharge that enables them to stay afloat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

After they die, a portion of that carbon sinks to the seafloor, where it can remain stored for long periods, helping transfer carbon from the surface ocean into long term storage.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026

I try again in the second-floor bathroom with the small group of girls hanging around the sinks.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

Researchers in France and Croatia analyzed the protective coating on the Roman Republic shipwreck Ilovik-Paržine 1, which sank about 2,200 years ago off the coast of what is now Croatia.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026

Yields shot back up today as stocks sank.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

A ferry transporting more than 70 people sank while sailing near Selayar, a small island south of Sulawesi, last month.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

Consumption momentum slowed after the conflict erupted, as consumer confidence sank in April to its lowest level since 2022 following an increase in energy prices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

I was so glad to be there, so glad Patch and I weren’t alone, that I sank down on the floor in front of her hearth.

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff

Two 80-metre barges are also being stationed at Paks that could be sunk to raise the water level.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

They never arrived, and might have been lost at sea after the ship they were on was sunk.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026

I was in my living room, sunk into the chaise lounge I retreat to, comfortable in a way that now embarrasses me, when I heard my mother’s voice in the other room calling my father.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

A ferry carrying 116 passengers has sunk off the coast of Guyana with 53 people so far rescued, local authorities have said.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

He was too sunk in his own thought, too intent upon the thing he faced, to answer her or even to listen.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

And so if you’re a sports fan, you sometimes have that sinking feeling when you’re watching your team get too defensive, and they stop taking chances.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Ever been confused by a random amount leaving your bank then had that sinking feeling it's a subscription you forgot to cancel or didn't mean to sign up to?

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

"Thank God that a wave pushed the sinking vessel and we managed to climb on top," Chance Siyamavhu said at a memorial service in the lakeside town of Kariba close to the border with Zambia.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

Furthermore, the most recent joint intervention between the U.S. and Japan to support the sinking Japanese yen was carried out in a way that could further alienate the global investor community, Rosenberg said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

All at once, the army of animals withdrew, and the Juggernaut continued sinking straight toward its target.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

Related Words

• capsize
• decline
• descend
• dig
• dip
• disappear
• drill
• drive
• drop
• drown
• fall
• go down
• lower
• overturn
• plummet
• plunge
• ram
• sag
• settle
• slump