sinker

[sing-ker]

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.

sinker

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• sinkerless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sinker¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

see hook, line, and sinker.

Example Sentences

He tinkered with new pitches, including a cutter and sinker, but still couldn’t execute his trademark splitter the way he wanted.

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But he had one of the best ground-ball rates in the sport thanks to a sinker he used more than ever before in his career.

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Pages came to the plate next, and swung through a first-pitch sinker.

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“It’s like the one pitch I can be late with, and it’s in the zone,” Glasnow said of his sinker, which he had thrown sparingly prior to getting hurt.

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But also, he said he has simply found a way to throw with maximum effort more consistently — coupling it with an increased reliance on his sinker to attack the zone and induce quick outs.

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Related Words

• bun 
• pastry