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

Etymology

Origin of sinker

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

Example Sentences

Not wanting to overload Soriano, the Angels had him focus on his sinker and curveball, his two best pitches.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026

In the first inning, Trout stared down Woo before taking first base after a sinker hit the star outfielder’s left shoulder.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

These rulings have adopted Scalia’s historical account hook, line, and sinker.

From Slate • Dec. 4, 2025

I am a believer that you should not take the sentiment data hook, line, and sinker because we know that what a consumer says and what they do can sometimes be different things.

From Barron's • Nov. 17, 2025

“And you’re doing a fine job with just a sinker on that line.”

From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Related Words

• bun
• pastry