Sink
Origin
From Old English sincan, from Proto-Germanic *sinkwanÄ…, from Proto-Indo-European *sengÊ·- ("to fall, sink"). Compare West Frisian sinke, Low German sinken, Dutch zinken, German sinken, Danish synke, Swedish sjunka.
Full definition of sink
Verb
- (physical) To move or be moved into something.
- (ergative) To descend or submerge (or to cause to do so) into a liquid or similar substance.A stone sinks in water.The sun gradually sank in the west.
- (transitive) To cause a vessel to sink, generally by making it no longer watertight.
- (transitive) To push (something) into something.The dog sank its teeth into the delivery man's leg.The joint will hold tighter if you sink a wood screw through both boards.
- (transitive, snooker, pool, billiards, golf) To pot; hit a ball into a pocket or hole.
- 2008, Edward Keating, The Joy of Ex: A NovelMy sister beats me at pool in public a second time. I claim some dignity back by potting two of my balls before Tammy sinks the black.
- (social) To diminish or be diminished.
- (intransitive, figuratively, of the human heart) To experience apprehension, disappointment, dread, or momentary depression.
- 1897, Bram Stoker, Dracula Chapter 21I tried, but I could not wake him. This caused me a great fear, and I looked around terrified. Then indeed, my heart sank within me. Beside the bed, as if he had stepped out of the mist, or rather as if the mist had turned into his figure, for it had entirely disappeared, stood a tall, thin man, all in black.
- 1915, Thornton W. Burgess, The Adventures of Chatterer the Red Squirrel, Little, Brown, and Company, Boston; ch. XIX:Peter's heart sank. "Don't you think it is dreadful?" he asked.
- (transitive, figurative) To cause to decline; to depress or degrade.to sink one's reputation
- William Shakespeare (1564-1616)If I have a conscience, let it sink me.
- Nicholas Rowe (1674-1718)Thy cruel and unnatural lust of power
Has sunk thy father more than all his years. - (intransitive) To demean or lower oneself; to do something below one's status, standards, or morals.
- 2013, Steve Henschel, Niagara This Week, April 24, 2013.Who would sink so low as to steal change from veterans?
- (transitive, slang, archaic) To conceal and appropriate.
- Jonathan Swift (1667–1745)If sent with ready money to buy anything, and you happen to be out of pocket, sink the money, and take up the goods on account.
- (transitive, slang, archaic) To keep out of sight; to suppress; to ignore.
- Robertsona courtly willingness to sink obnoxious truths
- (transitive, slang, archaic) To reduce or extinguish by payment.to sink the national debt
- (intransitive) To be overwhelmed or depressed; to fail in strength.
- unknown date William Shakespeare (1564-1616)I think our country sinks beneath the yoke.
- unknown date John Mortimer (1656?-1736)Let not the fire sink or slacken.
- (intransitive) To decrease in volume, as a river; to subside; to become diminished in volume or in apparent height.
- unknown date Joseph Addison (1672-1719)The Alps and Pyreneans sink before him.
- 1879, Richard Jefferies, The Amateur Poacher Chapter 1, It was not far from the house; but the ground sank into a depression there, and the ridge of it behind shut out everything except just the roof of the tallest hayrick.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Noun
sink
(plural sinks)- A basin used for holding water for washing
- A drain for carrying off wastewater
- (geology) A sinkhole
- A depression in land where water collects, with no visible outlet
- A heat sink
- A place that absorbs resources or energy
- (baseball) The motion of a sinker pitchJones' has a two-seamer with heavy sink.
- (computing, programming) An object or callback that captures events; event sink
- (graph theory) a destination vertex in a transportation network
Antonyms
- (destination vertex) source