sinker
[sing-ker]
- a person or thing that sinks.
- a person employed in sinking, as one who sinks shafts.
- a weight, as of lead, for sinking a fishing line or net below the surface of the water.
- Slang. a doughnut or, sometimes, a biscuit or muffin.
- Also called sinkerball. Baseball. a pitched ball that curves downward sharply as it reaches the plate.
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Origin of sinker
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for sinker
Contemporary Examples
Plus, Fox, for many years, drove the agenda that the other cable nets swallowed hook, line, and sinker.
The Democrats Need to Stop Freaking Out About Obamacare and Take ChargeMichael Tomasky
November 14, 2013
Her hairdresser in Malibu filled her in, and after studying every episode she was “hooked, line and sinker,” and signed on.
And yet, Rep. John Fleming (R-LA) took the bait hook, line, and sinker, posting about the outrageous story on his Facebook page.
He said his reason was sharks but really it was because MCD was a sinker.
Historical Examples
A pressure-gauge to register the depth of the sinker has been added by Sir William.
Heroes of the TelegraphJ. Munro
Even I swallered that Development Company, hook, line, and sinker.
The Rise of Roscoe PaineJoseph C. Lincoln
I have arranged this sinker, which has a hole through it, so that the line will run freely.
Tales of FishesZane Grey
An' I'll bet a sinker it'll beat that Bally Klavvy bizness if we do it well.
Tramping with TrampsJosiah Flynt
No sinker or float is required, as the bait must be kept near the surface.
Bass, Pike, Perch, and OthersJames Alexander Henshall
sinker
- a weight attached to a fishing line, net, etc, to cause it to sink in water
- a person who sinks shafts, etc
- US an informal word for doughnut
- hook, line, and sinker See hook (def. 18)
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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
Word Origin and History for sinker
n.
1838 in the fishing-line sense, agent noun from sink (v.).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with sinker
sinker
see hook, line, and sinker.
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.