/ English Dictionary

SINK

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected forms: sank    , sunk    , sunken   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A covered cistern; waste water and sewage flow into it

Synonyms:

cesspit; cesspool; sink; sump

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("sink" is a kind of...):

cistern (an artificial reservoir for storing liquids; especially an underground tank for storing rainwater)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Plumbing fixture consisting of a water basin fixed to a wall or floor and having a drainpipe

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("sink" is a kind of...):

plumbing fixture (a fixture for the distribution and use of water in a building)

Meronyms (parts of "sink"):

drain basket (a filter in a sink drain; traps debris but passes water)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sink"):

kitchen sink (a sink in a kitchen)

basin; lavatory; washbasin; washbowl; washstand (a bathroom sink that is permanently installed and connected to a water supply and drainpipe; where you can wash your hands and face)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A depression in the ground communicating with a subterranean passage (especially in limestone) and formed by solution or by collapse of a cavern roof

Synonyms:

sink; sinkhole; swallow hole

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Hypernyms ("sink" is a kind of...):

depression; natural depression (a sunken or depressed geological formation)

Sense 4

Meaning:

(technology) a process that acts to absorb or remove energy or a substance from a system

Example:

the ocean is a sink for carbon dioxide

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Hypernyms ("sink" is a kind of...):

action; activity; natural action; natural process (a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings))

Domain category:

applied science; engineering; engineering science; technology (the discipline dealing with the art or science of applying scientific knowledge to practical problems)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sink"):

heat sink (a metal conductor specially designed to conduct (and radiate) heat)

Antonym:

source ((technology) a process by which energy or a substance enters a system)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Fall heavily or suddenly; decline markedly

Example:

The real estate market fell off

Synonyms:

fall off; sink; slump

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "sink" is one way to...):

drop (go down in value)

Verb group:

drop; drop down; sink (fall or descend to a lower place or level)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sense 2

Meaning:

Embed deeply

Example:

He buried his head in her lap

Synonyms:

bury; sink

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "sink" is one way to...):

embed; engraft; imbed; implant; plant (fix or set securely or deeply)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "sink"):

countersink; set (insert (a nail or screw below the surface, as into a countersink))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something PP

Sense 3

Meaning:

Descend into or as if into some soft substance or place

Example:

She subsided into the chair

Synonyms:

sink; subside

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "sink" is one way to...):

come down; descend; fall; go down (move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s somebody PP
Somebody ----s something PP

Sense 4

Meaning:

Pass into a specified state or condition

Example:

He sank into nirvana

Synonyms:

lapse; pass; sink

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "sink" is one way to...):

move (go or proceed from one point to another)

Sentence frames:

Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Sense 5

Meaning:

Fall or descend to a lower place or level

Example:

He sank to his knees

Synonyms:

drop; drop down; sink

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "sink" is one way to...):

change posture (undergo a change in bodily posture)

Verb group:

drop (let fall to the ground)

fall off; sink; slump (fall heavily or suddenly; decline markedly)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "sink"):

drop open; fall open (open involuntarily)

droop; flag; sag; swag (droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness)

sag; sag down (cause to sag)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Sense 6

Meaning:

Cause to sink

Example:

The Japanese sank American ships in Pearl Harbor

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "sink" is one way to...):

displace; move (cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense)

Cause:

go down; go under; settle; sink (go under)

Verb group:

go down; go under; settle; sink (go under)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "sink"):

settle (cause to become clear by forming a sediment (of liquids))

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

The men sink the boat

Sense 7

Meaning:

Fall or sink heavily

Example:

My spirits sank

Synonyms:

sink; slide down; slump

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "sink" is one way to...):

break; cave in; collapse; fall in; founder; give; give way (break down, literally or metaphorically)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Sense 8

Meaning:

Go under

Example:

The raft sank and its occupants drowned

Synonyms:

go down; go under; settle; sink

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "sink" is one way to...):

come down; descend; fall; go down (move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way)

Verb group:

sink (cause to sink)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "sink"):

settle; subside (sink down or precipitate)

founder (sink below the surface)

submerge; submerse (sink below the surface; go under or as if under water)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Sentence example:

They sink

Antonym:

float (be afloat either on or below a liquid surface and not sink to the bottom)

Also:

sink in (pass through)

Derivation:

sinker (a weight that sinks (as to hold nets or fishing lines under water))

sinking (a descent as through liquid (especially through water))

Sense 9

Meaning:

Appear to move downward

Example:

The setting sun sank below the tree line

Synonyms:

dip; sink

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "sink" is one way to...):

decline (go down)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "sink"):

subside (sink to a lower level or form a depression)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Credits

 Context examples: 

Holmes was sunk in profound thought, and hardly opened his mouth until we had passed Clapham Junction.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The tumult of cessation from lessons was already breaking forth, but it sank at her voice.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

And almost at the word she gave a deep sigh of relief, and sank back, asleep.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

When John got out his books that night, Meg's heart sank, and for the first time in her married life, she was afraid of her husband.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Sprawling black zones on the map represent areas where a landing spacecraft would sink into fine dust.

(NASA's Treasure Map for Water Ice on Mars, NASA)

Contrary to the usual course of things, Mr. Elton's wanting to pay his addresses to her had sunk him in her opinion.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

“Did not your heart sink within you? Were you not smitten with fears? Have you not felt a curse hang over you?”

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Her voice sank lower, and she looked straight before her.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

My companion sat in the front of the trap, his arms folded, his hat pulled down over his eyes, and his chin sunk upon his breast, buried in the deepest thought.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

They then sat down, and when her inquiries after Rosings were made, seemed in danger of sinking into total silence.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

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