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Synonyms

sink in

British  

verb

  1. (intr, adverb) to enter or penetrate the mind

    eventually the news sank in
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
sink in Idioms  

  1. Penetrate the mind, be absorbed, as in The news of the crash didn't sink in right away. [Late 1300s]

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.

The hope among British diplomats is that idea will sink in.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

Back in Iran, a sense of the inevitable had begun to sink in for many there.

From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026

Together, they have reminded everyone just how effective the splitter can be—even if the lesson took a little time to sink in.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

I was pretty nervous every show, and then you sink in and you start to be able to play with the audience a little bit.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

A shadow of something passed over his face as her words seemed to sink in, and with them a comprehension she didn’t understand.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

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.