sinker

American  

[sing-ker] / ˈsɪŋ kər /

noun

1. a person or thing that sinks.

2. a person employed in sinking, as one who sinks shafts.

3. a weight, as of lead, for sinking a fishing line or net below the surface of the water.

4. Slang. a doughnut or, sometimes, a biscuit or muffin.

5. Also called sinkerball. Baseball. a fastball that curves downward sharply as it reaches the plate.

6. diesinker.

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sinker British  

/ ˈsɪŋkə /

noun

1. a weight attached to a fishing line, net, etc, to cause it to sink in water

2. a person who sinks shafts, etc

3. an informal word for doughnut

4. See hook

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sinker Idioms  

1. see hook, line, and sinker.

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Other Word Forms

• sinkerless
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of sinker

First recorded in 1520–30; 1870–75 in the sense “doughnut“; 1930–35 in the baseball sense; sink + -er ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sinker

Then, two batters later, Freeman turned on an inside sinker and sent it over the right-field fence — where Dubón had no chance to track it down.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Ohtani fouled off the next two pitches before whiffing on a sinker to end the inning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

Meanwhile, Schlittler’s sinker, which he throws 20% of the time, veers aggressively downward and toward righties.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

And to finish off the at-bat, he located a sinker at the bottom of the zone for a called strike three.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

He barked and returned To my father, who Returned to the car: The fish would have Nothing of hook and sinker.

From "Neighborhood Odes" by Gary Soto

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Related Words

• bun
• pastry

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