sunk
Americanverb
adjective
-
Informal. beyond help; done for; washed up.
If they catch you cheating, you're really sunk.
-
Nautical. (of a forecastle or poop) raised less than a full deck above the weather deck of a ship.
verb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sunk
First recorded in 1925–30 sunk for def. 2
Compare meaning
How does sunk compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Chicago-area buyer who pulled out of her purchase at the 11th hour, meanwhile, felt relieved to not have sunk her money into the unit.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
The collision occurred 18 nautical miles off Silivri district on the western edge of Istanbul province, with Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu telling journalists the damaged vessel had sunk "very quickly".
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
If anything happens to sideline Ohtani the hitter, the Dodgers are sunk, period.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
The collection was discovered in 1963 by archaeologist Jose María Soler in a vessel sunk in a dried-out riverbed in Villena.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
It looked like a pothole; the tissue had simply sunk out of sight.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
