sink or swim

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A sink-or-swim situation is one in which we must save ourselves by our own means or else fail. The image is that of a person thrown into the water without a life preserver; he or she must swim or drown.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

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Words nearby sink or swim

sinking, sinking fund, sinking spell, sinkless, sink one's teeth into, sink or swim, sink through the floor, sinless, sinner, Sinn Fein, sinningia

How to use sink or swim in a sentence

Jones is a veteran of another beloved-yet-controversial animated series on Adult Swim, The Boondocks.
‘Black Dynamite’ Presents Police Brutality: The Musical|Stereo Williams|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As this list shows, punishments typically run to a short-ish jail sentence and/or a moderately hefty fine.
In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
At the same time, the heaviest parts—the main fuselage, the engines and wings—sink to the bottom.
Did Bad Weather Bring Down AirAsia 8501?|Clive Irving|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Winners are solely responsible for any and all federal, state, and local taxes and/or fees that may be incurred.
The Daily Beast Company LLC The New Alphas Sweepstakes Official Rules||December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Winners will be solely responsible for any and all local, state, and federal taxes, and/or fees that may be incurred.
The Daily Beast Company LLC The New Alphas Sweepstakes Official Rules||December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If it continues the same we can continue to sink 20 fathoms per month, exclusive of the time it will take to fix the lifts.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
She had looked into the kitchen and saw the dishes in the sink and the gaping stove hearth, and shook her head.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn|Margaret Penrose
Such a clique of professional friends would sink a stronger man than Trevithick.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
His gunners pelted the unwieldy budgerows with round shot until they began to sink.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Baroudi now let himself sink down a little, and rested his cheek upon his hand.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens

Other Idioms and Phrases with sink or swim

sink or swim

Succumb or succeed, no matter what, as in Now that we've bought the farm, we'll have to make a go of it, sink or swim. This expression alludes to the former barbaric practice of throwing a suspected witch into deep water, often weighted down. In case of sinking, the victim died; in case of swimming, the victim was considered in league with the devil and therefore was executed. A related idiom, float or sink, was used by Chaucer in the late 1300s; Shakespeare had the current form in 1 Henry IV (1:3): “Or sink or swim.”