sinkhole

American  

[singk-hohl] / ˈsɪŋkˌhoʊl /

noun

sinkholes plural

1. a hole formed in soluble rock by the action of water, serving to conduct surface water to an underground passage.

2. Also called sink.  a depressed area in which waste or drainage collects.

---

sinkhole British  

/ ˈsɪŋkˌhəʊl /

noun

1. Also called (esp Brit): swallow hole.  a depression in the ground surface, esp in limestone, where a surface stream disappears underground

2. a place into which foul matter runs

---

sinkhole Scientific  

/ sĭngk′hōl′ /

1. A natural depression in a land surface formed by the dissolution and collapse of a cavern roof. Sinkholes are roughly funnel-shaped and on the order of tens of meters in size. They generally occur in limestone regions and are connected to subteranean passages.

2. Also called sink

3. See more at karst topography

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sinkholes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sinkhole

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at sink, hole

Explanation

A sinkhole is a dent or dip in the ground that's caused by a collapsing surface. Most sinkholes result from erosion. Water is basically what causes sinkholes; certain kinds of rock naturally dissolve over time from being repeatedly saturated, and the result can be a depression or sunken spot in the ground. Some underground caverns and caves are the result of sinkholes. Human-caused collapses are often referred to as sinkholes too. These occur when unused mines collapse, or in urban environments where water or sewer pipes leak and cause concrete above them to crack and sink.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sinkhole sinkholes

The water main ruptured in the early hours of July 16, creating a massive sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

One fan posted, “Lord let the sinkhole take me instead but not Dialog Cafe!!!!”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

The goal is to better understand the geological processes that influence sinkhole formation, disappearing streams, and underground water movement.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 2, 2026

Homes have been evacuated after a sinkhole believed to be from an old mine opened up and swallowed a road sweeper.

From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2026

"Boy," he said, "I understand that you not only carried Mr. Norton out to the Quarters but that you wound up at that sinkhole, that Golden Day."

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison

The discovery of sinkholes near a railway bridge in south London has caused the suspension of train services on Sunday to Gatwick Airport and Brighton.

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026

Network Rail said engineers discovered a number of sinkholes on a bridge south of the station during planned engineering work on the lines outside Purley, and "urgent repairs" were needed.

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026

In some tests, dye poured into sinkholes on the plateau traveled roughly 20 kilometers and appeared at springs in as little as a week.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 2, 2026

During more than four decades as a private-equity investor, he swung from gushers of profit to sinkholes of red ink.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025

Poisonous smoke and sinkholes and boiling geysers and terrible dangers every which way.

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill