sink

1 of 2

verb

ˈsiŋk 

sank ˈsaŋk  or sunk ˈsəŋk  ; sunk; sinking

intransitive verb

1

a

: to go to the bottom : submerge

b

: to become partly buried (as in mud)

c

: to become engulfed

2

a(1)

: to fall or drop to a lower place or level

(2)

: to flow at a lower depth or level

(3)

: to burn with lower intensity

(4)

: to fall to a lower pitch or volume

his voice sank to a whisper

b

: to subside gradually : settle

c

: to disappear from view

d

: to slope gradually : dip

3

a

: to soak or become absorbed : penetrate

b

: to become impressively known or felt

the lesson had sunk in

4

: to become deeply absorbed

sank into reverie

5

a

: to go downward in quality, state, or condition

b

: to grow less in amount or worth

6

a

: to fall or drop slowly for lack of strength

b

: to become depressed

c

: to fail in health or strength

broadly : fail

transitive verb

1

a

: to cause to sink

sink a battleship

b

: to force down especially below the earth's surface

c

: to cause (something) to penetrate

2

: immerse, absorb

he sank himself into his studies

3

a

: to dig or bore (a well or shaft) in the earth : excavate

b

: to form by cutting or excising

sink words in stone

4

: to cast down or bring to a low condition or state : overwhelm, defeat

5

: to lower in standing or reputation : abase

6

a

: to lessen in value or amount

b

: to lower or soften (the voice) in speaking

7

: restrain, suppress

sinks her pride and approaches the despised neighbor

—Richard Harrison

8

: to pay off (something, such as a debt) : liquidate

9

: invest entry 1 sense 1

10

: drop sense 7c

sink a putt

sink a jump shot

11

chiefly British : to drink down completely

sinkable

ˈsiŋ-kə-bəl 

adjective

sink

2 of 2

noun

plural sinks

1

a

: a pool or pit for the deposit of waste or sewage : cesspool

b

: a ditch or tunnel for carrying off sewage : sewer

c

: a stationary basin connected with a drain and usually a water supply for washing and drainage

2

: a place where vice, corruption, or evil collects

3

: sump sense 3

4

a

: a depression in the land surface

especially : one having a saline lake with no outlet

b

: sinkhole

5

: a body or process that acts as a storage device or disposal mechanism: such as

a

: heat sink

broadly : a device that collects or dissipates energy (such as radiation)

b

: a reactant with or absorber of a substance

The oceans are a major sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂).

—Andrew J. Watson et al.

see also carbon sink

Phrases

sink one's teeth into

1

: to bite into

2

: to eagerly devote one's attention to

likes to sink her teeth into a good book

Synonyms

Verb

• atrophy
• crumble
• decay
• decline
• degenerate
• descend
• deteriorate
• devolve
• ebb
• regress
• retrograde
• rot
• worsen

Noun

• Augean stable
• cesspool
• Gomorrah

Examples of sink in a Sentence

Verb

The passengers were rescued from the boat before it sank.

The rock sank to the bottom of the pool.

My foot sank into the deep mud.

She sank up to her knees in the snow.

The torpedo sank the ship.

The sun sank behind the hills.

She sank back into the cozy chair.

The temperature sinks quickly after the sun sets.

The lake's water level is slowly sinking.

His strength is slowly sinking.

Noun

was able to rise above the sink that was his birthplace

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

But Western hopes of a more moderate Syria sank when the new leader promptly maintained his country’s traditional ties with militant groups, such as Hamas and Hezbollah. —Simone McCarthy, CNN, 8 Dec. 2024

Nearly half — 1,177 — were sailors and Marines aboard the USS Arizona, which sank during the battle. —Audrey McAvoy, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024

Sitting beneath the $15 trillion that global investors have sunk into private capital, a burgeoning pool of investments that covers everything from private equity and private credit to venture capital and real estate funds, is a mind-numbing accounting problem. —Jeff Kauflin, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024

Almost half of the dead were crewmen from the battleship USS Arizona, which sank within minutes after a bomb struck its forward magazine, igniting more than a million pounds of ammunition. —Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 5 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English sincan; akin to Old High German sinkan to sink

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing sink

• carbon sink
• descend/sink/stoop to someone's level
• dry sink
• everything and the kitchen sink
• everything but the kitchen sink
• heat sink
• kitchen-sink
• sink in
• sink like a stone
• sink or swim
• sink to new depths
• sink without a trace
• sink without trace

Kids Definition

sink

1 of 2 verb

ˈsiŋk 

sank ˈsaŋk  or sunk ˈsəŋk  ; sunk; sinking

1

a

: to move or cause to move downward usually so as to be below the surface or swallowed up

feet sinking into deep mud

sink a ship

b

: to descend gradually lower and lower

the sun sank behind the hills

2

: to lessen in amount or strength

3

: to fall to or into a lower status (as of quality, worth, or number) : decline

sink into decay

4

a

: to penetrate or cause to penetrate

sank my ax into the tree

b

: to become absorbed

the water sank into the dry ground

5

: to form by digging or boring

sink a well

6

: invest entry 2 sense 1

sank a million dollars in the new company

7

: to fail in strength, spirits, or health

my heart sank

sinkable

ˈsiŋ-kə-bəl 

adjective

sink

2 of 2 noun

1

a

: cesspool

b

: sewer entry 2

2

: a stationary basin for washing (as in a kitchen) connected with a drain and usually a water supply